Beyond All Boundaries
by Sarge1
Summary: After serving as the "Left Hand of God" for so long, Van Helsing finally asks God for something in return for his lifelong dedication. He asks for Anna.
1. She's ALIIIIIVE!

**Disclaimer: As much as I'd like to claim that I created the idea of Van Helsing and Co. I did not. Therefore there is no reason to sue me. I have no money anyway. Damn the student life!  
**  
CHAPTER 1  
  
Emptiness. That was all Gabriel Van Helsing felt now. At first, after witnessing Anna reunite with her family, he thought that he could simply go on and be happy for her, but as the days went on, he found himself slipping deeper and deeper into a vortex of depression and despair. He hadn't realized that he needed her so much until after she was actually gone. Sure, she had been somewhat pig-headed and obstinate, but she was also passionate and courageous. And he loved her.  
  
He LOVED her.  
  
He never thought in all his days that he'd ever be able to love anyone as much as he now realized he had loved her. Not being with her was now killing him and it was all his fault.  
  
Carl had noticed it soon after they had left Transylvania. The commanding presence that Van Helsing had once had seemed to have vanished. He hardly ate, he barely slept, and he certainly had no desire to hunt evil anymore. It was like he simply shut down.  
  
Back in Rome, Gabriel spent most of his time alone in the church. He would sit in the pews and simply wonder why she had to die. What purpose had her death served? He still had found no answer and he was beginning to hate God because of it.  
  
Days later, he finally lost it. He was sitting in the back of the church, trying to conjure up every detail of Anna that he could remember when he simply...lost it. He stood up, walked out into the aisle, raised his hands into the air, and called out in a loud voice.  
  
"Why, Lord?! Why did You allow her to be taken from me?!" he asked God furiously. "I was merely doing Your will! I was fulfilling the commandment that You laid down before me. I WAS DESTROYING THE EVIL IN THIS WORLD THAT YOU SO ADAMANTLY DESPISE!" he yelled. "Well, no more, Lord! I WILL DO IT FOR YOU NO MORE!"  
  
He dropped to his knees before the alter and began to weep. "Why, Lord?" he cried. "I am supposed to be Your left hand. How can You deny me this one thing when I have done so much good in Your name?!" He looked up toward the sky, tears streaming down his face. "Please Lord, I beg of You," he choked out sorrowfully. "Give her back to me. I know I have questioned You in the past, Lord, but I promise You, if You return her to me, I will never question You again. Please, Lord, please. Just give her back to me."  
  
It was then that a bright light suddenly beamed down from above and enveloped Van Helsing within its sparkling rays. He closed his eyes, for the light that was all around him was too intense to look at. He didn't know what was happening, but at the same time everything felt so familiar and right. It was comforting.  
  
Then, as if in a dream, a Voice spoke to him. "You have done well, My good and faithful servant," It said, "and as a reward for your uncompromising dedication to Me, I will grant you that which you so longingly desire."  
  
As quickly as it happened, the light disappeared. Slowly, Gabriel opened his eyes, wondering what had just happened, but that's when he saw her. Anna! She was lying before him on the alter, naked and eyes closed, seemingly in a deep slumber.  
  
Breath caught in Van Helsing's throat and his heart felt as if it had stopped beating. Was she real or was this some cruel trick being played on him? He reached forward very slowly until his shaking hand was hovering just over her shoulder. He released a shuddering breath, closed his eyes, and then let his hand drop.  
  
What he felt was warm and soft.  
  
His eyes sprung open again and he saw that he wasn't dreaming. His hand was resting on her shoulder. She didn't disappear! The Lord had heard his plea and had granted his desperate prayer. It was Anna and she was alive!  
  
A short sob escaped his lips and he climbed to his feet and moved swiftly over to the woman. He leaned over her, afraid that if he touched her, she might disappear again. It wasn't until she let out a small cough that he realized that she really was alive. "Oh God, Anna!" he finally said as he grasped her shoulders and gave her a gentle shake to rouse her. "Open your eyes, Anna!"  
  
There was a long pause and then her eyes suddenly fluttered open. She blinked several times to clear the blurriness and then suddenly, as her vision cleared, she saw Gabriel's concerned face hovering over hers. "Van Helsing?" she whispered questioningly, not knowing whether she should believe her eyes or not.  
  
Tears filled Van Helsing's eyes. Never in all his years had he been so happy to hear someone's voice. He immediately pulled her into his arms and cradled her, holding on tight. "Oh Anna, I thought I had lost you forever," he said, his voice hoarse with emotion.  
  
"What-what are you talking about?" the woman asked, her voice raspy and weak. "What happened?"  
  
Gabriel pulled back to look at her, but still held her tight. "You don't remember?" Now he too was confused.  
  
She slowly shook her head and looked around. "No, not at the moment. Where am I?" she questioned, her strength slowly returning. She looked down at herself. "And where are my clothes?"  
  
Van Helsing followed her gaze and then blushed furiously. He had been too preoccupied with whether Anna was real or not that he didn't even really notice that she was sorely lacking in clothing. He quickly pulled off his trench coat and wrapped it around her. He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head at what he figured for God's sense of humor.  
  
Slowly and carefully standing, Anna pulled Gabriel's coat all the way around her and made sure she was completely covered before she looked at him. "Would you care to tell me what exactly is going on?" she questioned, her Romanian accent full of her usual zest.  
  
Van Helsing gazed down at her and smiled. He had almost forgotten how her accent sent shivers of excitement down his spine. "How about we get you out of here and into some warmer, more...suitable clothes, and then I will explain everything to you?"  
  
Anna stared at him for a long moment before finally nodding. "All right, but you better have a good explanation."  
  
With that, Van Helsing took her by the arm and led her out of the church. He had her back. He had his Anna.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(A/N: Since I personally hated the ending of the movie, I figured, like several of you other authors, that I'd write something where Anna comes back to life. I figured that if Van Helsing is the "Left Hand of God," he should ask the Almighty for a favor for his hard work. I mean, God is the most powerful Being of all. If anyone could bring Anna back, it would be Him. Anywho, more is coming soon! Remember to **REVIEW**!!) 


	2. But She Was DEAD!

Disclaimer in first chapter.

CHAPTER 2  
  
Van Helsing contemplated taking Anna somewhere other than his quarters within the Holy Order's walls, but then realized that there was no safer place for her to be as she regained her strength and wits. He had sneaked her through one of the back entrances and stealthily led her down the darkened corridors until they arrived outside the door of his room. While he was completely ecstatic that she was alive, he wasn't sure how the others of the Holy Order would react to seeing a woman who had only a few weeks before been dead. He didn't want them to think that she had been brought to life again by forces of evil. That just wouldn't be good.  
  
Once inside, Anna sat down on Van Helsing's bed while he began digging through his clothes to find her something a little more suitable to wear other than his trench coat. He knew she would want to get clothes of her own, some that actually fit, but in fear that he might lose her again if he left her alone, he had decided to let her borrow some of his until she had the strength to go into town with him and buy some of her own.  
  
"Van Helsing—" Anna started.  
  
The man glanced over his shoulder at her. "Gabriel."  
  
She frowned in confusion. "What?"  
  
Van Helsing straightened, turned toward her, and then walked over to her, handing her the bundle of clothes he was carrying. "My first name is Gabriel," he informed her.  
  
Anna looked at the clothes in her hands and then back up at the man standing in before her. "Perhaps I am remembering things incorrectly because I was under the distinct impression that you could remember nothing of your past."  
  
Gabriel smiled down at her. "I see that your memory is returning unlike that of my own."  
  
Anna's brow furrowed in further confusion. "But—"  
  
He interrupted her. "I was merely told that my name is Gabriel, by an unreliable and rather malevolent source at that, but I something within my own soul is telling me that it is the truth." He paused a moment before simply saying, "I am Gabriel."  
  
After taking a long moment to think about it, Anna smiled slightly. "Gabriel," she tried it out and then nodded, her smile growing wider. "I like it. It suits you."  
  
Van Helsing nodded in return, smirking. "I'm glad you approve."  
  
Anna shook her head at him and then looked back down at the clothes in her hands. She lifted a couple of the garments up and then stared up at Gabriel once again.  
  
"I know they aren't what you are used to wearing, but until you have regained your strength and are well enough to venture out to purchase your own clothes, I thought it prudent to give you something at least a little warmer to dress in," the man explained quickly, willing himself not to blush.  
  
"They're fine for now," she said as she stood up. She continued to stare at Gabriel for a long moment before she made a motion with her hand for him to turn around. "Would you mind?"  
  
"Oh! Right." He immediately turned his back to her so that she could slip the clothes on with a little more dignity than if he were watching. He shook his head slightly, silently berating himself for acting like such an imbecile.  
  
Just as Anna took off the trench coat and began to slip on some of the other clothes, there was a knock and then the door swung open.  
  
Carl stepped inside looking rather frazzled. "Van Helsing! Friar Lawrence said he saw you walking through the corridors with a wo—" When he finally noticed that Anna was standing, and nude no less, his eyes went huge. "It's- ah, it's-ah—" He looked over at Gabriel and then back over at Anna, who was clutching a shirt to her chest in an attempt to cover herself somewhat. "But she...and we...the fire and the burning! She's-she's dead! She's ashes floating in the sea!!"  
  
Anna looked over at Van Helsing in question, who in return grabbed Carl, pulled him in the room, and then slammed the door shut. "Lower your voice, Carl," the other man said in a low hiss.  
  
"But-but how?" the young friar asked. "I mean, she was dead! We burned her body! How can she be alive?!"  
  
"I died and you burned my body?" Anna interjected, beyond confused now.  
  
Both men looked at her and nodded before they turned back to each other. "I can't really explain it, Carl. I prayed to God that He'd return her to me and He did."  
  
"How is that possible?" Carl questioned, not sure if he should believe it or not. "I've been praying to be taller for years and the Lord has yet to grant my request!"  
  
"You asked God to bring me back to life?" Anna questioned, her expression of bewilderment becoming more prominent now.  
  
Gabriel glanced at her and nodded again before he looked back at Carl.  
  
"You're not the supposed 'Left Hand of God', Carl. I have served Him long and hard," Van Helsing said, "And it wasn't until now that I ever asked something of Him."  
  
"So He simply brought her back to life?" Hands on his hips, Carl gave the other man a skeptical look.  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Will you two stop?!" Anna finally exclaimed, thoroughly exasperated now. "I AM standing right here in case you have forgotten." She waved at the two of them when they turned their heads to look at her. "And also, if you haven't noticed, I am desperately lacking clothing. So, if you'd please turn around, I'd like to put something on!"  
  
Both men stood frozen for a moment, staring at her, before they both realized what they were doing and quickly turned around so that they were facing away from her. Carl glanced over at Gabriel and then quickly diverted his eyes back to the wall in front of him. "Was sending her back like...THAT...God's sense of humor?" he questioned quietly.  
  
Van Helsing nodded swiftly. "That is what I was thinking."  
  
"Ah."  
  
Anna finished putting on the clothes she had been given and then looked over at the two men. "I'm finished," she announced.  
  
They both slowly turned and looked at her. There was a long moment of silence.  
  
"All right then," Carl finally said, startling everyone, even himself, by breaking the stillness of the silence the three of them had created, "I'm going...to go," he pointed toward the door, "out there and...I'll," he tried to think of something to do, "go read through some books...to uh, make sure...um...nothing bad will happen because of...this." He gave Van Helsing and Anna a small, vacillating smile before he scurried out of the room.  
  
Gabriel watched the door close before he turned his attention back to Anna. A lopsided grin lit up his face as he stood there, head cocked to the side slightly, fighting the urge to comment on how adorable she looked swimming in his oversized clothes. Anna gave him a stern look and he quickly wiped the smirk from his face. "Uh, we'll have to go out and buy you some clothes that fit properly...When you're ready to..."  
  
She stepped up to him, her face still serious. She didn't stop until they were mere centimeters from each other and then she tilted her head back so she could look Van Helsing in the eyes. "You spread my ashes in the sea?"  
  
Gabriel nodded. "Yes," he replied. He too was now serious. "You said you had never been to the sea...So, I took you there." His voice was soft and his features solemn, but his eyes were filled with emotion. Sadness. Grief. Love. Longing. It was all there as he remembered that day.  
  
Anna gazed into his eyes for several long moments before she reached up with her hand and pulled his head down to hers. Their lips hovered mere millimeters from each other for a few seconds before Anna finally moved in to seal the kiss. It was gentle and tentative at first, but quickly grew more heated.  
  
Finally, they broke the kiss and just stood there, foreheads touching, catching their breath. Anna looked into Gabriel's eyes again and gave him a soft smile. "Thank you for taking me to the sea."

TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(A/N: I hope y'all liked chapter two. I hope this story is making sense. crazy eyes Anywho, the next chapter probably won't be up for a few days. Probably not till Tuesday or Wednesday. I'm having my four wisdom teeth pulled on Friday so I'm going to be out of it Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and maybe even Monday, but I promise you that I will be contemplating how to word the next chapter as I sit around high on pain medication! LOL! Remember to **REVIEW**!!) 


	3. And Now the Bad News

Disclaimer on first page.

CHAPTER 3  
  
Van Helsing and Anna had been sitting in his quarters for some time, discussing all that had happened before God had brought her back to life.  
  
Anna nodded, a thoughtful look on her face. "Yes, I think I remember that," she said, "We had decided to attempt to trick Dracula's brides by going out in two coaches." She paused, closed her eyes, and tried to remember the details. "Yours was empty while I had the Frankenstein and Carl, is that correct?"  
  
"Yes, that's correct," Gabriel replied. He was glad that Anna was regaining her memory, well at least some of it. He wasn't exactly sure why God had sent her back without it, but God was God. He had His reasons for everything.  
  
Anna suddenly frowned.  
  
"What is it, Anna?" Van Helsing asked, concerned.  
  
"We were attacked by a werewolf," she said before pausing a moment to close her eyes again and visualize exactly what had happened. A second later, her eyes sprung open and she looked over at Van Helsing, her beautiful features suddenly overcome by a distraught expression. "My brother," she whispered despondently. "He was the werewolf."  
  
Just as Gabriel opened his mouth to say something, the door swung open and Carl darted in carrying a rather large book. "Van Helsing! Anna!"  
  
"What?" they both responded at the same time.  
  
Carl shut the door behind him and then moved over to them. "I've found something!" he said anxiously as he opened the book and plopped it down on the bed between Gabriel and Anna. He pointed to a section of the text below a large picture of a seemingly holy being getting attacked by some sort of demon. "It says here," Carl began, "'Holy art thou whom art placed within this mortal realm by the divine Hand of the King of Kings...'"  
  
Van Helsing gave Carl a weary look. "Where is this going, Carl?" he questioned.  
  
"Patience. I wasn't finished reading," the friar said as he turned his attention back to the book. "'Created new or merely recreated, thou which art sanctified by He Who is above all art now a beacon for that which is malevolent.'"  
  
"What does that mean?" Anna asked, casting an uneasy look at Gabriel.  
  
Carl glanced over at her. "At first, I was not sure."  
  
"But?" Gabriel prodded.  
  
Carl hesitated a few moments before pulling a smaller book from out of his tunic. "But, I dug deeper within the Holy Order's archives and I found this." He opened up the small book and placed it on top of the large one. He then pointed to a portion of text within it. "It says 'Nefarious beings far and wide will hunt for those in which sanctity resides.'"  
  
An alarmed expression passed over Van Helsing's face. He looked at Anna and then back at Carl. "Are you saying that because Anna was recreated by God, evil creatures are going to start hunting her?"  
  
Carl bit his bottom lip nervously and then nodded. "Yes, I think so."  
  
"You THINK so?!" Gabriel exclaimed. "This is Anna's life we're speaking of! It is not something we can afford to risk so flippantly!"  
  
"I'm sorry, Van Helsing!" Carl squeaked, cowering slightly. "The text in these older manuscripts are much harder to decipher. I can't know for sure until..."  
  
"Until what?! Until a warlock or a werewolf or a vampire come out of nowhere and attack her?!" His temper was beginning to get slightly out of control, but with good reason. He had just gotten Anna back. He didn't want to lose her again.  
  
"Gabriel, calm down," Anna said quietly as she reached over and placed her hand on his forearm.  
  
He looked at her, a frown on his face.  
  
She gave him a weak smile. "I have been fighting evil my whole life. This will be no different," she said, trying, albeit unsuccessfully, to alleviate some of the tension in the room. Both men knew she was right though. As one of the Valerious', she had been hunted her whole life by creatures of darkness. She had grown up learning how to survive by simply knowing how to kill all sorts of evil creatures from vampires to werewolves and back again. She wasn't about to say she wasn't afraid, because she was, but at the same time, she wasn't about to go into hiding either. She would fight until she had no more strength to do so. That is how she was.  
  
Seeing this as his chance to exit the room unscathed, Carl picked up his books and pointed to the door. "I'm going to go back to the archives. Perhaps I can find something more that can help us." With that, he hurried out the door and then closed it behind him.  
  
Gabriel and Anna sat there for some time just staring at each other. They were both deep in thought. How bad was this going to be? What would they be up against? Would they be able to survive?  
  
Finally, Van Helsing scooted forward and took one of Anna's hands into his. "You must understand that I have already lost you once," he said softly. "I don't think I could bear losing you again."  
  
She squeezed his hand gently and then leaned over, kissing him on the cheek. "As long as we are together, fighting side by side, you will not lose me. I promise you that."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks so much for your reviews! I stayed up all night worrying about my appointment to have my wisdom teeth removed today. I simply couldn't sleep so instead, I wrote y'all a little chapter to keep you held over until I'm able to think coherently again! You guys rock! Please **REVIEW**!! WOO!)


	4. The First of Many

CHAPTER 4  
  
An hour had passed since Carl had informed Van Helsing and Anna about the new threat that seemed to be upon them, and now it was beginning to take its toll on Anna. A few minutes after the young friar had scurried out of the room to go back to the Holy Order archives, Anna had begun pacing back and forth in the room, suddenly worried about the predicament they were now in.  
  
"If what the manuscripts say is true-"  
  
"If Carl is interpreting them correctly," Van Helsing interjected from where he sat on the bed watching her pace.  
  
Anna paused to look at him and then nodded, saying, "That too" before she resumed her pacing. "If it is correct and I am now a beacon for evil, I cannot stay here knowingly putting all of your lives at risk."  
  
"Anna, I will not let you go off on your own," Gabriel said, "Not after I went through so much to get you back."  
  
"I cannot ask you to come with me," she replied, shaking her head absently, "And I most certainly will not ask you to put your life in danger for me."  
  
"Why not?" Gabriel stood up. "You did for me."  
  
Anna didn't look at him. She just kept pacing, deep in thought. "Yes, but that was a different matter completely. We had a common goal then."  
  
"There was no common goal when you went out of your way to retrieve the cure for the werewolf venom that was running through my veins!" he countered, his voice rising heatedly. "There was no common goal when you risked your life and lost it merely to save me from a life of forever being that beast!"  
  
Anna stopped pacing as the memories of the events leading to her death came flooding back. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again to stare at Van Helsing. "You killed me," she said so softly that it was barely audible.  
  
Gabriel's mouth hung open, her words having stopped him from launching into another long, passionate speech explaining why he should go with her if she left. They stared into each other's eyes for a few long moments before he finally spoke. "Yes, I was the one who took your life," he said, almost equally as soft.  
  
Anna dropped his gaze and slowly slipped down into a chair in the corner of the room as if too stunned to stand. She stared at the floor for a little while and then said, "I remember it all now."  
  
Gabriel's eyes dropped to the ground as well, immediately pained by both the memories of the event and now by Anna's reaction to the truth. They were silent for some time before he finally walked over and kneeled before her. "Yes, I was the one who took your life from you and until the moment that the Lord placed you before me again, I was not living. I could not live without you, Anna, so please, if for no other reason than I owe you my own life, allow me accompany you when you leave this place."  
  
Slowly raising her head so that her now tear-filled eyes were staring into his, she shook her head slightly. "I still cannot ask you to risk you life for me again," she whispered, her words soft but clear and crisp.  
  
Van Helsing reached up and gently pushed a wayward curl out of Anna's eyes before caressing her cheek tenderly with his knuckles. "I risk my life everyday for people I do not know," he stated softly, "At least allow me to risk it for someone I love."  
  
A single tear escaped down Anna's cheek as she realized what he had just said. "You...love me?"  
  
Gabriel wiped the tear away and then nodded, taking one of her hands into his. "Yes Anna, I do. I love you with all of my heart."  
  
A small sob escaped Anna's lips and she leaned forward, burying her face in the crook of Gabriel's neck. Everything was just so overwhelming. She cried softly in his arms for a little while before she finally spoke again. "I love you too," she whispered, her voice muffled.  
  
Shrouded by darkness, he moved silently through the corridors, her pure essence guiding him closer and closer. Her holiness had been driving him mad since the moment he sensed it and he was sure it was affecting the other beings like him in the same way. He had to stop it. He had to snuff out that which God had sanctified.  
  
He stealthy turned the corner and then spotted the door from which her essence radiated out from. It was like a bright light beaming through the cracks around the door and that's when he knew he had found her. He crept forward, still hidden by the shadows, but stopped when he saw a short, gawky-looking human bustling down the corridor toward the room in which the holy one resided.  
  
He watched as the small man stopped outside the door and raised his hand to knock, but knowing he could not afford to have the element of surprise tainted by some inept, little human, he let out a low growl and stepped out of the shadows, making his presence known. Before the man had time to react, he grabbed him by the tunic and threw him right through the door.   
  
Van Helsing and Anna were still in the same position when Carl suddenly came exploding through the door, wood flying everywhere. Upon instinct, Gabriel covered Anna with his body to protect her from the flying debris, but once everything had settled enough, they both jumped to their feet to face the beast that now stood in the area the door once occupied.  
  
Carl sat up, dazed and bleeding from several lacerations. "It's for you, Van Helsing," he squeaked before passing out.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(Hey y'all! Sorry it took me so long to get this up! I know I promised it Monday or Tuesday, but I was quite drugged at the time! LOL! Thanks for all your reviews and your support with me going through this dental ordeal. I went for a checkup today and the oral surgeon says I'm doing great! My jaw is sore still, but that's to be expected! Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one will be up really soon! Remember to **REVIEW**! –Emily) 


	5. Fight! Fight! Fight!

CHAPTER 5  
  
Van Helsing stood slightly in front of Anna, cautiously watching the beast that had just thrown poor Carl through the door. He very slowly reached behind himself to grab hold of one of the weapons that were usually strapped to the back of his hips, but then, upon not feeling them there, began cursing silently when he suddenly remembered taking them off. He had put them inside the chest in which he kept most of this clothes and it happened to be sitting in the opposite corner to him and Anna. He had to think quickly before the thing at the door decided to attack.  
  
He silently cleared his throat before saying in his most strong, commanding tone, "Who are you and what is it that you want?"  
  
"I think 'WHAT are you' would have been more appropriate," Anna whispered from behind him just before the creature surprisingly spoke up.  
  
"I have come to destroy the Holy One," it snarled as it took one step from out of the shadows and into the room, straightening up to its full height.  
  
Gabriel heard Anna gasp softly from behind him, but wasn't sure whether she did it because of what the creature had said or because of how horrifying it looked.  
  
The beast stood a good nine feet tall and while it had some human-like features, they were grotesquely misshapen. It had very dark, somewhat scaly skin that was rivaled only by the blackness of its eyes, which happened to be so dark that not even the light reflected off of them. With every movement, its highly muscular chest, legs, and arms seemed to ripple, and on every finger of its huge hands where long, extremely sharp nails that actually looked more like daggers than anything else. As it spoke, its pointy, gleaming white teeth seemed to suggest almost certain death for those unfortunate enough to get trapped within its massive jaws, and its voice sounded of stones being grinded mixed with the intensity of thunder. Its whole aura seemed to vibrate with pure darkness.  
  
Van Helsing took a step back so that Anna was nearly touching him before he said, "I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Just as the words left his mouth, the beast roared loudly and then lunged at the two of them. Gabriel had anticipated that very reaction and quickly grabbed Anna, pushed her forward out of the way, and then dove out of the way himself just as the beast landed where they had been.  
  
Gabriel rolled to his feet and then looked from the beast to Anna, who had just stood as well. "Anna! The chest!" he exclaimed, pointing to it.  
  
The woman immediately nodded, knowing exactly what he was telling her to do. She had seen him put his weapons inside while he was finding her something to wear. She quickly glanced at the beast that had just turned around before she made a mad dash for the chest.  
  
Roaring again, the beast launched himself in her direction, but was cut off in mid-air when Van Helsing came crashing into it, sending them both flying to the floor. He tried to quickly roll away from the beast, but wasn't fast enough. The creature grabbed him by the shoulder, digging his sharp claws in, and then threw Gabriel across the room like nothing more than a rag doll.  
  
Gabriel slammed into the wall and then fell forward, almost landing right on top of Carl. Ignoring the pain radiating from his shoulder, he pushed himself up and then quickly shook the friar, trying to rouse him. He wanted Carl to move to safety so he wouldn't get trampled on.  
  
Carl moaned and shook his head with his eyes still closed, whining, "No, please Mummy! I don't like wearing boy clothes!"  
  
Anna made it to the chest and wretched it open. She immediately pulled out one of Van Helsing's six-shot revolvers and turned to shoot the beast, but before she could pull the trigger, it was upon her.  
  
The beast lashed out with its huge clawed hand and slashed Anna across the stomach before it followed through with the swing, hitting her outstretched arm and causing her to drop the revolver. Before she could move to retaliate, the beast had her by the neck and was lifting her off the ground.  
  
Gabriel watched as the revolver slid across the floor near the bed and quickly made a dive for it. Wrapping his hand around the handle, he brought it up, aimed at the beast, and fired, hoping it would at least drop Anna.  
  
But it didn't. When the bullet pierced its side, it just swung around, Anna still within its grasp, and furiously roared at Van Helsing.  
  
Gabriel eyes went wide when he noticed that the wound he had just inflicted upon the beast suddenly healed. He clenched his teeth and jumped to his feet before firing four more shots at the creature. The bullets hit the beast's chest and only then did it drop Anna.  
  
Landing on the ground hard, Anna coughed violently, trying to draw air back into her lungs but with every movement of her chest, the long gashes across her stomach sent searing pain throughout her body, making it that much harder.  
  
Carl, who had finally come to his senses, sat up and looked around to see what mayhem had ensued while he had been unconscious. His eyes grew wide as he saw Van Helsing standing near the bed, revolver in hand, and the huge, roaring beast looming over Anna, who was on the ground in front of it. Immediately scared out of his wits, he quickly crawled over to the bed and slid under it, hoping he wouldn't attract the beast's attention.  
  
Peeking out, the friar stared at the beast and began shuffling through all the information in his brain about monsters and demons, trying to figure out what it was. If he knew what it was, he would be able to tell Gabriel and then it might help him kill it. When the beast roared again, he squeaked in fear and slid all the way back under the bed. "I can think better under here," he quietly rationalize with himself.  
  
When Van Helsing saw that Carl had moved and made it to the mostly likely the safest place in the room, he was relieved for a brief moment. At least the friar would live, but when the four bullet holes in the creature's chest healed again, he wasn't sure that he and Anna would. "Anna!! MOVE!!" he cried, hoping to spur her into action. He had to get her away from the beast!  
  
Upon hearing Gabriel's voice, Anna forced herself to push past the pain and then looked up at the beast just in time to see its foot coming toward her head. She immediately rolled out of the way, narrowly missing the blow that most likely would have killed her. She quickly climbed to her feet, but just as she did, the beast's huge arm came crashing into her, sending her flying into the far wall.  
  
Infuriated, the beast then turned to Gabriel, making up its mind to kill him first before destroying the Holy One. It stepped forward, slashing at Van Helsing with its massive claws, but couldn't seem to actually make contact. The man was evading all of its blows, making it even more anger.  
  
"Carl!" Van Helsing yelled as he jumped forward and rolled between the beast's legs. "How do I kill this thing?!" On his feet again, he quickly fired the last bullet into the creature's back before he ran for the chest.  
  
Under the bed, Carl was muttering to himself. "It's a Ged-...No, no, those have tentacles. Oh! It's a ...wait, no, those have tails." But that's when it hit him. "It's an Opacus Belua!!" he exclaimed, thoroughly pleased with himself that he had figured it out. "All right, now how to kill it..." he pondered aloud to himself.  
  
Gabriel grabbed another revolver and shot off all of the bullets into the beast, hoping to at least delay its impending attack. "Anytime now, Carl!" he yelled, picking up his crossbow and firing the arrows into the creature.  
  
Carl was racking his brain trying to figure out the answer to Van Helsing's question. "One moment, Van Helsing!" he cried from under the bed.  
  
Gabriel was still firing at the beast, but he was quickly running out of arrows. "One moment and we'll all be dead!"  
  
"AHA!" Carl exclaimed, having remembered how to kill it. He crawled forward and peeked out. "I figured it out, Van Helsing! I remember reading in Gilvanio's Book of Dark Creatures that the Opacus Belua is sensitive to light and that—"  
  
"HOW DO I KILL IT?!"  
  
"Shoot its eyes!! You have to shoot its eyes so the light in the room can enter its body and kill it!" Carl replied before scooting back under the bed. He frowned. Van Helsing always interrupted him when he was trying to explain something.  
  
Van Helsing immediately raised the crossbow, leveled it with the beast's head, and fired off two arrows. Both hit their marks.  
  
The beast shrieked in pain and grasped at its eyes, hoping to shield them, but it was too late. The arrows had shattered the black lenses that protected its only weakness.  
  
Gabriel watched as the light in the room seemed to get absorbed into the wounds in the creatures eyes. Moments later, the beast began to shake violently and its dark skin began to glow. It gave out one last guttural roar and then finally blew up.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you liked chapter five! I originally had it about 8 pages long, but decided I'd cut it in half and then use the other half for chapter 6, which will be up soon! And yes Dare, they'll go shopping soon! LOL! Probably chapter 7. -Grin- And Syreene, it's nice to know there's another Emily around -wink-! Sarah, calm...Breathe with me. In...and out. In...and out. In...and out. Carl will be fine. I promise you! LOL! taidigimon, and everyone else, I'm glad you're enjoying the story. I only hope I can continue to write to your liking! :-D Remember to **REVIEW**!! -hugs- Emily) 


	6. News of a Good Kind

CHAPTER 6  
  
"Is it dead yet?" Carl asked, popping his head out from underneath the bed. That's when he saw the pieces of blown up beast all over the place. He cringed. "Ewww...I'm glad these aren't my quarters," he stated before crawling out and climbing to his feet.  
  
Gabriel took a few deep breaths and then dropped the crossbow onto the floor. He was feeling drained. His adrenaline rush was now crashing and he could really feel the pain his shoulder now. "Anna?" he questioned as he slowly turned his head in the direction she had been thrown.  
  
He spotted her lying on her side on the floor on top of the remains of the chair that she had been sitting in before the beast interrupted them. The chair had obviously broken her fall and then shattered because of the force of it.  
  
"Anna?" he said again when she didn't reply. He stared at her a moment longer and then realized she wasn't moving. Immediately, he was across the room and at her side. He quickly rolled her over and pulled her into his lap. "Anna! Anna, wake up!" he said, his voice shaking ever so slightly.  
  
There was a long, quiet moment and then she finally moaned. Her eyes slowly fluttered open and she looked up at Van Helsing. She blinked a couple of times to clear her vision and then finally spoke. "Is it dead?" she whispered.  
  
Van Helsing smiled down at her, relieved that she was alive. For a moment, he had thought he had lost her again. "Yes," he replied with a small nod.  
  
"Thanks to me!" Carl interjected from where he was now sitting on the bed, poking at a piece of charred beast flesh with one of the arrows that Van Helsing had shot it with.  
  
Gabriel glanced over at the friar and raised a threatening eyebrow.  
  
"And Van Helsing!" he quickly added, seeing the other man's look.  
  
Shaking his head, Gabriel turned back to Anna and looked down at her again. Placing his arm around her shoulders, he helped into a sitting position, but immediately became concerned when she let out a pain-filled gasp. "Are you all right?" he questioned, a look of worry passing over his face.  
  
She closed her eyes a moment, trying to mentally push the pain aside, before she opened them again and slowly nodded. "Yes, I will be fine," she replied before she reached up and fingered the torn clothing around Gabriel's wounds in his shoulder. "But you need to have those cared for."  
  
Just then, Cardinal Jinette and a few others came storming into the room. "Van Helsing!" the Cardinal snapped, "What happened here?!"  
  
Gabriel stood and then helped Anna up as well. He opened his mouth to reply, but was suddenly cut off my Carl.  
  
"It was an Opacus Belua, Father! It was really quite extraordinary!" he said excitedly. Then he frowned. "It would have been even more extraordinary if it hadn't been trying to kill us." Everyone looked at Carl as if he was going insane, but he didn't seem to notice. "I must say that the sketches of this creature in the manuscripts hardly did it justice, but its name certainly does!" He looked over at Van Helsing and Anna, saying, "Opacus Belua is Latin for 'Shadow Beast' which I think fits it rather nicely, don't you? I mean, it blended into the shadows of the corridor so well! I walked right in front of it and didn't even realize it was there. Until, of course, it threw me through the door, but—"  
  
"That is enough, Carl," Jinette said, having gotten tired of the friar's babbling. He turned his attention to Gabriel and Anna. He narrowed his eyes and stared a moment before speaking. "I was told that Princess Velarious was dead."  
  
Carl immediately began speaking again. "Well, she was in fact dead, but—"  
  
The Cardinal silenced him with a stern look before he stepped forward toward the other two. "Either she is dead or she is not dead. Which is it?" he asked, directing the question toward Gabriel.  
  
"Carl is right, Father. Anna was dead," he answered.  
  
Jinette looked at her and then back at Gabriel. "She does not appear to be dead to me."  
  
"That is because she is no longer dead."  
  
Raising an eyebrow, the Cardinal gave Van Helsing an inquiring look. "And would you care to explain how this obviously miraculous event came to pass?"  
  
Gabriel glanced at Anna and then looked straight at Jinette. "I asked the Lord to return her to me," he answered simply, "And He did."  
  
"You asked the Lord to bring her back to life and He did?" he asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.  
  
"That was my exact reaction, Father!" Carl interrupted, "Why does Van Helsing get what he asks for while the rest of us who have been praying for years and have devoted our lives to Him get nothing?!"  
  
"Be quiet, Carl."  
  
"Yes Father."  
  
Jinette stared at Gabriel and Anna for a few long moments before shaking his head. "You realize what this means?"  
  
"That I am now a beacon for evil?" Anna said, speaking for the first time since the Cardinal had walked into the room. She nodded. "Carl informed Gabriel and I earlier."  
  
"Yes," Jinette replied, "And it also means that in order to keep the secrecy and safety of the Holy Order—"  
  
"I must leave here," she finished for him. "And I plan to do so immediately."  
  
The Cardinal studied Anna for a moment and then nodded. "I do not wish to cast you out, Princess, but there is no other alternative." There was a long pause. "Unless..."  
  
"Unless?" Van Helsing prodded.  
  
Jinette raised his finger in the air as a thoughtful expression passed over his face. "In the ancient manuscripts, there is a myth of an Amulet of Vedette which was said to have the power absorb the essence of sanctity and protect those placed here by the Hand of God," he recounted. "I do not know if this myth is true or not, but it was written in the same manuscripts as was the warning to those not born naturally, but simply created by the Lord. The warning about being the beacon for evil."  
  
"The same that Carl told us about?" Van Helsing questioned.  
  
Cardinal Jinette nodded.  
  
"We've already seen that Anna attracts evil. She was even called the Holy One by the beast. So if that part of the manuscript was true, then the other part about the amulet must be as well," Gabriel rationalized as he cast a hopeful glance Anna's way. "If there is any chance that we can prevent Anna from being constantly hounding by these dark creatures for the rest of her life, we must take the risk and search for whatever can save her. If it is this amulet that can do this, we must find it."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(A/N: Hey all! This chapter was a bit boring, but hey! It's up! LOL! Thanks for all your reviews! They're greatly appreciated!! -Grin- Oh Dare, it would seem that they're going shopping in chpt 8, not 7! Sorry! LOL! But don't worry! I've got most of 7 done and I'm planning out 8. -smile- Anyway, thanks again for the reviews!! And remember to **REVIEW** this time too! HEHE -Emily) 


	7. And That's Two Down

CHAPTER 7  
  
After Van Helsing had spoken, Cardinal Jinette began frowning. "Are you thinking of going with the Princess on this quest?" he questioned though he already knew the answer.  
  
"Yes Father, of course I am," Gabriel replied, surprised the questioned was even asked. What did the cardinal think he was going to do? Stay behind at the abbey until he was needed to kill some random creature of evil while Anna went off on her own after something she had just heard about moments before? No. He had just gotten her back and there was simply no way that he would leave her now, let alone abandon her in a time of great need.  
  
"You have duties here at the Order," the Cardinal began, "but...given the fact that Princess Anna needs both protection and aid, and that you'll probably destroy more evil while with her, I will allow you and Carl to journey with her."  
  
"What? Me?" Carl all but exclaimed. "I don't want to go! I've had enough time out in the field to last me a lifetime!" He turned his gaze to look at Anna and Gabriel. "You'll have to forgive me, but I can't do it!" His voice began to shake nervously while simultaneously raising a few octaves. "I-I just-there's the claws...and AHH! And then SQUASH!!! Death, I tell you! DEATH!!!!!"  
  
Jinette narrowed one eye, trying to figure out what Carl was saying. He looked to the others for an answer, but they seemed just as lost as he. "Well, Brother Thorton is willing to go out into the field," he said, knowing full well that Carl and Thorton didn't get along at all. "He's just as smart of Carl so I'm sure he can find the location to the amulet."  
  
Carl's eyes bulged out. "Brother Thorton as smart as me?! HA!" he scoffed. "That man couldn't figure out a problem even if the answer came up and smacked him right in the head!" Gabriel and the Cardinal smirked at each other. "There is absolutely no want I will allow that nitwit to endanger your lives. Van Helsing, Anna, you have yourself a friar!"  
  
Van Helsing quickly hid his smirk and gave Carl the most serious look he could muster. "Carl," he said, pausing dramatically as he stepped forward and grabbed the friar's shoulder. "You might have just saved our lives...AGAIN." He patted Carl's shoulder in a manly gesture of appreciation. He desperately wanted to laugh, but held it inside...barely. "On behalf of Anna and myself, I thank you."  
  
Carl beamed.  
  
"Now hurry, my friend," Gabriel said, "We must leave as soon as possible!"  
  
The young friar nodded earnestly. "Yes, yes of course! I'll go gather my things now!" He quickly turned around, almost falling over for his efforts, and hurried out the door. A moment later, he poked his head back in, saying "I won't let you down!" and then scurried away down the corridor.  
  
Van Helsing chuckled and shook his head. "Good ol' Carl." He looked over at Jinette who had a small smirk on his lips, and said, "We really must go soon, Father."  
  
The Cardinal nodded, his expression becoming serious again. "Yes." He turned his attention to Anna. "I wish you the best on your journey, Princess, and I shall pray for your success in locating the amulet."  
  
She smiled slightly. "Thank you, Father."  
  
With that, Cardinal Jinette gave one more nod to Gabriel and shook his hand before heading out of the room with the other men following close behind.  
  
"We really need to buy a few things at the market before we leave," Van Helsing said as he turned to face Anna. "You will definitely need some more suitable clothes." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he suddenly noticed a large darkened patch of something spread across the dark fabric of Anna's shirt. Most of the large stain was directly over her stomach. He frowned deeply. "Anna?" he questioned, unable to disguise the fear and concern in his voice. He took a step toward her, noticing how pale she had become and how her eyes seemed to be glazed over slightly. "Anna?" he said again.  
  
She gazed at him a moment, blinking a couple of times as she tried to clear her vision, before softly saying, "I do not feel so well." And then her eyes rolled back and her knees gave out.  
  
Van Helsing quickly lunged forward, catching her before she fell and then scooped her up into his arms. Moving to the bed, he gently laid her down and brushed an errant curl out of her face before he looked down at her shirt. It was only then that he noticed the four parallel holes that started on one side of the shirt and went across horizontally to the other side.  
  
Slowly and carefully, he lifted the shirt just enough to reveal four long and seemingly deep gashes across her stomach that were bleeding quite heavily. Cursing, he immediately pressed his hands against them in attempt to stem the flow of blood. He turned his head to look at the chest where he kept his small travel bag of medical supplies. He needed to get it, but at the same time didn't want to remove his hands from Anna's stomach in fear that she might lose a lot more blood. Letting out a shaky breath, he was about to pray to the Lord for help when suddenly Carl stumbled into the room carrying all of his gear.  
  
"Van Helsing, I—" He stopped short when he noticed Gabriel leaning over Anna who happened to be lying on the bed with her shirt rolled up. "Honestly, you two, couldn't you have left the snogging until after we left the Order?"  
  
Gabriel snapped his head around in the direction of Carl's voice and looked at him, saying, "We aren't snog—" He stopped and shook his head. "Just go to my chest and get out the small leather bag with the medical supplies in it."  
  
Not being able to see Anna's wounds from where he was, Carl just stood there wondering why Van Helsing would want medical supplies. The reason then came to him. "I commend you for your creativity, but why waste bandages to tie each other down with? There's other stuff around here I'm sure. You just have to look for it."  
  
An unrecognizable expression passed over Gabriel's face before he finally yelled, "Get me the bag!" Carl still remained where he was as if he hadn't heard the other man. "NOW CARL!!" He would have smacked Carl if he hadn't thought keeping pressure on Anna's wounds was more important.  
  
The friar blinked and then quickly nodded. "Oh!" He shook his head, coming to his senses. He noticed the scowl Van Helsing was directing at him. "Alright, alright, I'm going!" he huffed as he walked over to the chest and bending over, shuffled through the contents inside looking for the bag. "Black or brown leather, Van Helsing?" he questioned.  
  
Gabriel looked over his shoulder, a thoroughly exasperated expression on his face. "Brow— the one in your left hand."  
  
Carl looked at his left hand and smiled. "Oh, jolly good!" He placed the bag on the ground and began straightening up everything in the chest.  
  
Van Helsing glanced at Carl for a second and then looked back down at Anna, but as soon as his brain registered what the friar was doing, he immediately snapped his head back around to the younger man. "Carl!! Forget the bloody chest and give me the bag!"  
  
Carl stopped what he was doing and looked at Gabriel. "The brown one, right?"  
  
"YES!!!!"  
  
The friar frowned. "Alright, alright," he said as he picked up the back and moved over toward Gabriel and Anna, "No need to ye—" He stopped speaking as soon as he saw Anna's stomach and all the blood that was seeping out from between Van Helsing's fingers. "What did you do to her, Van Helsing?!"  
  
"I didn't—" Gabriel glared at him. "Oh, never mind! Just get me a cloth so I can wipe all the blood away and see how extensive her injuries are."  
  
Dropping the medical bag on the floor, Carl immediately did as he was told. He went back to the chest, pulled out a shirt, and ripped it in half, figuring it would work just as well as anything else. He stepped back over to Van Helsing, saying, "I hope you didn't like this shirt because—" but stopped speaking when Gabriel removed his hands from Anna's stomach to take the torn shirt from him. "I-is that ALL b-blood?" he stammered, his face turning pale.  
  
Oblivious to Carl's reaction to the blood, Gabriel nodded as he began wiping around the gashes across Anna's stomach. "Yes, that's why I needed—" Before he could finish his sentence, he heard Carl let out a somewhat strangled squeak and then heard a loud thud. Gabriel looked over and let out an exasperated huff when he saw that the young friar had fainted.  
  
Shaking his head and then turning back to Anna, he wiped away as much blood as he could before he began examining the wounds. He stared at the four long and deep gashes in astonishment. He had always admired Anna for being strong, but this was more than that. Most men would have fallen over immediately if they had received such severe wounds, but Anna had managed to stay standing, and held a conversation no less, without even exhibiting the least bit of weakness.  
  
Looking through the small medical bag, Van Helsing pulled out a sharp needle and thread. He knew that he was going to have to stitch up the wounds if they were ever going to stop bleeding. He disinfected the needle by placing it in the flame of the candle that sat on the small table at the head of the bed. That done, he threaded the needle and began the tedious job of stitching up the wounds.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED...  
  
(A/N: Hey y'all! Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up!! Major life mayhem going on lately. I'm sure y'all know what I mean. LOL! This was just kind of a filler chapter. It didn't have much to it and was rather boring, but I promise the chapters to come will be better! I've got chapter 8 and some of 9 written. I just need type it all up. Hehehe! Thanks so much for all the reviews and the support! It means a lot! Remember to REVIEW! –hugs- Emily) 


	8. And So It Begins

CHAPTER 8

Just as Van Helsing had begun stitching up the last gash on her stomach, Anna began to stir. She moaned and then reached down to touch her stomach, but Gabriel quickly caught her hand. "Nonono, don't touch," he said softly as he looked up at her face to see her eyes flutter open.

"Gabriel?" she croaked, lifting her head a bit to try to see what he was doing. "What—"

"You lost consciousness because you had lost a lot of blood," he explained, his tone soft, but also serious. "You should have told me you had been hurt."

"Would the outcome have been much different?" she questioned, her eyes set on the needle in Van Helsing's hand.

"I suppose not, but—"

"But nothing," she said firmly, dropping her head back down on the bed. The loss of blood was making her dizzy. "Just finish what you are doing. We must leave soon."

Gabriel frowned for a moment before nodding. "All right, but this will hurt now that you're awake."

"Well, there's not much we can do about that now, is there?"

Taking that as a rhetorical question, Van Helsing merely nodded before saying, "All right, this won't take long." He lowered the needle slowly and after a moment of hesitation, he pierced her flesh with it. He head Anna gasp as he brought the needle through the other side and then pulled that part of the wound shut. He took a moment to glance at her to see her eyes fixed on the ceiling and her bottom lip firmly grasped between her teeth so to prevent herself from making too much noise. Gabriel hated causing her more pain but it had to be done.

He was halfway through stitching up the wound when he heard her let out a soft whimper. He immediately looked up in concern to see her trying desperately to fight off the tears that were threatening to escape her eyes. Gabriel felt horrible. He had been concentrating so hard on stitching her up that he didn't notice the obvious agony she was in. He knew that it was going to hurt her some, but it took a lot of pain to get Anna Valerious to shed tears meaning she had to be in quite a bit of it now for her to be so teary-eyed.

He gently took one of her hands into his and gave it a little squeeze. "I'm almost done," he said softly.

Anna looked down at him, tears glistening in her eyes, and then nodded. She felt Gabriel give her hand another gentle squeeze before he let go and got back to work.

A few minutes later, he tied off the last stitch and then smiled up at Anna. "All done," he announced before hearing Anna sigh in relief. "Let me just clean up everything and wrap some bandages around it, and then we can go."

"All right," Anna replied.

Gabriel did just that. He wiped away all the excess blood off of her stomach and then carefully helped her into a sitting position so he could wrap the bandage around her.

Anna let out a pain-filled gasped as she straightened up. It was then that she noted Carl on the ground. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "Is there any particular reason why Carl is lying on the floor?"

"Oh, he just fainted," Van Helsing replied dismissively, not taking his eyes off his bandaging task to look at the downed friar.

Now Anna was even more confused. "Fainted? Why?"

Gabriel paused and turned his gaze to her, a small grin across his lips. "Because he has a countenance that is weaker than that of a little girl."

"I do not," Carl suddenly spoke up from where he was lying on the ground, his eyes still closed. "I'll have you know that I was told that I have a countenance that is stronger than one of an ox." He opened his eyes and looked pointedly at Gabriel, but still did not rise.

"Mmmhmm…" Van Helsing said doubtfully, a smirk lighting up his handsome features. "And who told you this?"

Carl didn't answer right away. He sat up and looked decisively around the room. He then glanced at Gabriel and Anna, who were both waiting for his answer, before finally standing up. After brushing himself off, he turned his attention back to them and quite blatantly said, "My mummy."

Gabriel's smirk widened for a moment before he forced his face into a serious expression. "And being the well-informed woman that she was, may she rest in peace, I happen to wonder if she ever witnessed you doing things such as fainting at the sight of blood before she told you this."

"I did not faint."

"Oh yes, you did."

"I did not!" Carl exclaimed. "I merely placed myself on the ground in order to give the impression that I had lost consciousness."

"For what purpose?"

"To…"

"To avoid the blood perhaps?" Gabriel taunted good-naturedly. "Admit it, Carl, you're afraid of blood."

Carl narrowed his eye slightly. "I am not AFRAID of blood," he replied with an indignant snort. "I merely prefer not to be around it. That's all," he quickly added, his voice nearly a whisper.

"Mmmhmm…"

"Gentlemen!" Anna finally interrupted. Both men looked at her. "In case you have forgotten, we were trying to leave here as soon as possible." She paused, "Remember?"

To avoid looking sheepish, Van Helsing quickly cleared his throat while Carl nodded. Both men were embarrassed at having acted like children in front of her.

"Ah, yes," Gabriel said in as manly a voice as he could muster.

Carl nodded again. "Right, right," he agreed before adding, "I will go have Bernard prepare the horses." He turned on his heel and went out the door, picking up all his bags on the way.

Gabriel turned to Anna and gave her a small smile. "Forgive me for behaving so childishly. Now is not the time for it," he said sincerely before he made a motion to go back to bandaging up the Princess's stomach.

Anna stopped him before he could though, placing a hand on his arm. He moved back so that he could look her in the eyes as she spoke. "I prefer that you two behave like that…Well, that you act like yourselves," she admitted as she reached forward and lovingly pushed a few stray locks of hair out of Gabriel's eyes. "When you do, it helps me to believe that what is happening now, and what is going to happen in the future, is not nearly as grave and well,…dire as it truly is."

Gabriel noticed the dejection in her tone and immediately felt a pang of it himself. When he had first met Anna, she had shown him what courage really was. No matter what monstrosities were after her and no matter how hopeless the situation seemed, she never gave up. She just kept fighting back. And more importantly, she didn't let the constant threat of death way her down. She was even able to see the brighter side of death and draw strength from it, but now…now she seemed different.

It wasn't as if she had given up or had lost the courage that Van Helsing so deeply admired –he didn't even think that was possible– but she now seemed as if she finally feared something. Be it the creatures after her or death itself, he didn't know. But what he did know was that he was going to help, protect, and love her no matter what.

Giving her the smallest of smiles, he nodded and then reached up to gently caress her cheek with his hand. She leaned into his touch, but didn't take her eyes off of his. Straightening up on his knees so that his face was level with hers, he slowly leaned in, capturing her lips.

Anna immediately responded in kind by wrapping her arm around his neck, effectively pulling him into a deeper, more passionate kiss.

Just as it began to get more heated, Carl suddenly emerged at the door. "Van Helsing, the horses are–" He stopped when he saw them and upon realizing what was happening, he placed his hands on his hips and sternly said," What did I already say about this?! There is a better time and place!"

Gabriel and Anna immediate broke apart, their faces flushing a bright red. They both suddenly felt like teenagers being caught in the act by a village elder or something.

Van Helsing quickly cleared his throat and looked at the young friar. "Has anyone ever told you that it is rude to enter a room without knocking first?"

Carl snorted. "As IF that would have made a difference."

"Carl…" Gabriel growled, one of his eyes narrowing at the little man.

The friar quickly diverted his eyes to Anna. "The horses and well, everything else is ready… whenever you are."

"Thank you, Carl," she replied sweetly, giving him a small smile.

He returned the smile, but instead of leaving, remained standing there.

No one moved.

Carl looked from Anna to Gabriel and then back again, still smiling. "Whenever you're ready," he repeated.

Anna blinked.

Van Helsing stared.

Carl slowly lost his smile. "When..ev..er…"

There was another moment of silence before someone finally spoke. Van Helsing cleared his throat and gave Carl a pointed look. "Thank you, Carl," he said, repeating Anna in hopes that the young friar would get the hint and actually leave.

Carl blinked and then smiled again. "You're welcome, Van Helsing."

Gabriel slumped. His quirky little friend had obviously missed the point again. "Carl…"

"Yes?"

"Leave."

The friar blinked again and then everything finally registered. "Oh!" His eyes bulged slightly. "I-uh…I'll be with the horses…whenever you're ready." He nodded to himself.

"Thank you," Gabriel said slowly.

Carl gave him and Anna an embarrassed smile before he turned and disappeared down the hall.

Gabriel shook his head and turned back to Anna. He smiled slightly. "You'll have to forgive him," he said, smirking. "He's brilliant, but at the same time, very…slow."

Anna smiled. "I never would have guessed." There was a paused and then her face grew serious again. She dropped Van Helsing's gaze for a moment. "We must go," she said meekly.

Gabriel could tell right form the start that Anna was worried, much more that usual, about the mission they were about to undertake. He wasn't sure if it had to do with the fact that her life was in danger –it had never seemed to bother her before– or the uncertainty that lie ahead of them. Either way, he had no plans of allowing her to deal with any of it on her own.

Reaching forward, he placed his hand underneath Anna's chin and lifted her head until her eyes were level with his. "Don't worry," he said in a soothing tone. "I won't allow any harm come to you." He kissed her softly on the lips. "I promise."

Anna gave him a small smile and nodded. "I know," she whispered.

Gabriel smiled back at her. "Allow me to finish dressing your wounds and then we will leave." With a nod from her, he finished wrapping her stomach and then after he grabbed all of his gear, they headed out.

TBC…

(A/N: Well, lookie here! I ACTUALLY posted another chapter! LOL! Go me! I'm OH SO SORRY that it took me so insanely long to do so. -shakes head- I have no excuse really except for my own laziness. Either way, the next chapter will be up soon. Lady Sirinial and Sarah, you two have my permission to kick me until chapter 9 is up and the rest is written! As for the rest of you, I REALLY appreciate all your reviews before and look forward too more! PLEASE REVIEW! LOL! -hugs- Emily)


	9. It's SHOPPING Time!

(A/N: Since my dear friend Lady Sirinial wrote a cute little chapter about shopping in her VH story "Gabriel's First Christmas", I decided I'd put my chappy up on shopping as well! LOL!)

CHAPTER 9

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"But–"

"She said 'no', Carl. It's her choice."

The young friar turned to Van Helsing holding up a frilly blue dress. "But it's so lovely!"

"It's hideous, Carl, and not even the Lord Himself could get me in it," Anna stated with her hands on her hips and an expression on her face that just screamed "Don't mess with me."

"But–"

"No!" Anna and Gabriel said in unison.

"Hmph!" With a pout, Carl turned away and placed the dress back where he had found it.

After leaving the Order, the three of them had ventured deeper into the city to buy some extra supplies for the journey and clothes for Anna. Needless to say, the Princess wasn't easy to shop for.

Carl picked up another piece of clothing and turned back to Anna. "How about–"

"No."

Letting out a slow, annoyed breath, he put the clothing back and just crossed his arms. If Anna wasn't even going to consider his choices, he just wasn't even going to try to help!

The princess gave Van Helsing a "Thank God he stopped" look before she picked out some clothes herself, paid for them, and then went to put a set on.

Looking around, Gabriel lowered his hat over his eyes a little more. They had purposely chosen the slums of the city to get everything because they didn't want anyone spotting Van Helsing and calling the authorities. In the slums, almost everyone there was trying to hide something so no one would call the authorities even if they did recognize who he was. Though even with that fact, Gabriel still liked to be cautious.

"So Carl, do you think you know what direction we must go from he–" Van Helsing stopped speaking when he realized that the friar was no longer beside him. "Carl?" He turned around looking for his friend and after a moment, he spotted Carl buying something from the stall owner. He sighed in relief and then tried to see what the little man was buying, but before he could, the young friar shoved it into his satchel. Gabriel shook his head.

A minute later, Anna arrived back dressed in a set of her newly purchased clothes. She had actually been quite happy about going to the slums to get everything because she knew that the people there sold gypsy clothes like the ones she had worn before her untimely demise. The more posh and expensive places in the nice side of the city only sold "fashionable" clothes and that meant mostly dresses. Anna hated dresses.

Van Helsing smirked as she walked up to him. She was dressed in a set of clothes much like the outfit she had been wearing when he had first met her. She was sporting the same black and rather tight black pants along with a predominately black corset. She also had on similar black boots. The blouse she had underneath her corset was covered in intricate green designs instead of the red she had worn before. All in all, she looked like her old self again.

Catching him staring, Anna raised an eyebrow and gave him a small questioning smile.

"I was just admiring your new outfit," Gabriel stated, a cheeky grin lighting up his face.

Anna narrowed her eyes a little before asking, "Is that all you were doing, Mr. Van Helsing?"

His grin widened. "Well, there was this certain image of you in the church that came to mind, but that's beside the point."

"What image of her in the church?" Carl asked as he walked up to them.

Gabriel just chuckled and Anna shook her head. With that, the two if them began walking away toward the horses.

"What?!" Carl exclaimed as he stared after them, confused. "I just wanted to know what im–" He stopped short, suddenly remembering in what state Van Helsing had said he had found Anna. He blushed furiously. "Oh," he gulped, "/that/ image…"

Horses in tow, the threesome ventured through the streets, stopping at various venders to buy food and whatever else they needed.

"Carl, why are you buying a bag full of onions?" Gabriel asked, amused.

Carl quickly whipped his head around to look at Van Helsing, his eyes wild as he held onto his bag of onions like someone was going to take them away from him.

"Carl?" Gabriel prodded, a smirk making its way across his lips.

The young friar coughed, blinked, and then straightened up. "I have a bag of onions for –uh-" He blinked again and then adopted a very serious expression. "I have them because you never know when you may need onions."

"Uh…huh…"

"It's true!" Carl declared, letting out an indignant snort. "Onions have been known to ward off as many evil creatures as garlic."

Van Helsing waved his hand in front of his nose to fend off the oniony smell. "Not to mention non-evil beings like myself and the rest of humanity."

Carl frowned and then muttered something along the lines of "You? Non-evil? HA!" under his breath.

Gabriel cast him a grin and then moved over to the booth Anna was at. She was paying for a sack of bread, the last item on their list of things to get. She gave the vender a curt nod of thanks before she took the sack and turned to Van Helsing.

"And I believe that concludes our task of purchasing goods for the journey," she stated as she handed the sack to him.

He nodded. "And that means we can begin our search for the Amulet."

Anna's face grew solemn as she agreed, "Yes."

Gabriel reached over, gently rubbing his hand up and down her arm. "Don't worry. We /will/ find it." He looked directly into her eyes. "I promise." He gave her arm a soft squeeze pf reassurance,

She wanted to say "But what if it isn't real?!" but kept her mouth shut, choosing to keep her concerns to herself. She knew that if she voiced her pessimism, it would not only bring herself down, but the others as well, and she couldn't do that to them, not when they were trying so hard…Not when they were putting their lives on the line for her.

Giving her a soft smile, Van Helsing took her hand and together they walked over to the horses. After helping Anna up onto on of the big steeds, he turned and scanned the crowd in search of the friar. It took him a moment, but he soon spotted the younger man at another booth buying something Gabriel was sure they probably wouldn't need. Smirking, he shook his head and then grabbed all of the horses' reins, leading the beautiful creatures over to the squirty little friar.

"Carl!" Gabriel called, making the other man jump slightly at the sound of his voice.

"Goodness gracious, Van Helsing!" Carl exclaimed, placing his hand over his racing heart. "How about NOT trying to scare me silly?" He let out a snort. "I'm very fragile."

Gabriel resisted the urge to roll his eyes and simply handed his friend the reins to one of the horses before swinging himself up onto the remaining one. "Come along, Carl."

The friar snorted again and then, with some effort, dragged himself up onto his horse and after situating all of his belongings, began following Anna and Van Helsing. The journey had finally begun.

TBC…

(A/N: It's a shorty, but they FINALLY went shopping! WOO!! Sirinial! Sarah! I think the kicking is actually working! Hehehehe! You must continue to kick and poke and whatever else so that I don't slow down again. Anywho, hope y'all liked this chappy! Thanks so much for your reviews last chapter! Remember to REVIEW for this one too! Hehehe! –hugs- Emily)


	10. Run!

CHAPTER 10

_The sound of her heels clicking on the cold stone floor reverberated throughout the hallway as she stormed down it in search of one rather exasperating man. The candles that were lined up in the hall, the only sources of light in the darkness, flickered as she passed by. Hearing a noise, she stopped short and then made a quick right turn down another hall. She walked all the way down it, but didn't stop when she reached the double doors at the end. Instead, she pulled them open and stepped inside, looking around. _

"_Van Helsing?" There was no answer so she grabbed the nearby lantern before venturing farther into the room. Her steps were slow, careful and her eyes moved about warily as if expecting something to jump out at her. And that's when she heard it._

_It was a strange noise, something she couldn't quite identify, and it was coming from up ahead of her. She grabbed a spiked mace from the table next to her and clutched it tightly within her grasp. She continued forward cautiously in search of the source of the noise._

_She heard squeaking that was followed by tapping sounds. She stopped and stood poised just behind on of the weapon displays. Her heart quickened along with her breathing. She had to wait for the right moment…and then…_

_She jumped around the display, mace ready, but saw nothing but an open window clattering against the sill as the wind from the storm raging outside blew. With a sigh of relief, she placed the mace down on another table and walked forward, setting the lantern on the sill before reaching over and pulled the window shut._

_Then she saw them. Wet werewolf paw prints on the stone floor ahead of her, the dim light in the room reflecting off the watery surfaces of them. She lifted her eyes and looked around. She didn't even notice the creature looming above her until she heard something drop down behind her._

_She quickly turned around, but saw nothing there. Her pulse was racing wildly and fear began to course through her veins. Slowly, she began backing up, grabbing a gun off of a table display and cocking it as she did. _

_She continued moving backwards, searching for the beast, when she suddenly felt water drip down on her. She froze for a moment before turning her head to the side and looking up the pillar next to her. The werewolf was there! She barely had time to squeeze of a round as it opened its massive jaws in order to rip her head off._

_After firing, she swiftly turned on her heel and took off, taking no time to actually see if she had hit the beast. She dashed past a few more weapon displays before ducking behind another pillar. Panting, she eased to the left, keeping an eye out for the beast when she suddenly bumped into…_

"_Velkan…" she breathed out, the sudden joy of seeing her brother overcoming the fear of being killed by the werewolf that still lurked. "Oh my God, you're alive."_

_He paused a moment, seemingly relishing the touch of her hand on his face, but suddenly pulled away. "Anna–" he started urgently, trying to tell her something._

_Speaking at the same time as him, she tried to warn him of the werewolf when before her eyes, he began to change. He began backing away from her, gasping in pain._

"_Velkan?" She watched as his skin began to stretch and bubble up. "No…No," she sobbed, shaking her head._

_He twisted and turned, his bones cracking as he began to take a different form._

_And then suddenly it was no longer Velkan. Her brother suddenly changed into…_

_Van Helsing._

Anna shot up with a gasp, so disoriented that her brain didn't even note that sharp pains that radiated up from her stomach wounds as she did so. Panting, she looked around wildly for a few moments before it finally registered where she was.

The woods.

She looked over to her right to see Carl, his blanket pulled so far up that it almost covered his face, curled up in a ball, sound asleep. She remained still for second, watching his blanket rise and fall as the friar breathed. In a strange way, it was kind of a comforting sight.

She sighed softly in relief. She was all right. It had only been a dream…just a dream.

"Bad dream?" a deep, soothing voice asked from behind her.

Anna whipped her head around to see Van Helsing standing there with a bundle of firewood in his arms. She just stared at him, watching as he moved over to the fire and placed a few logs on it before he turned back to her. He gave her a questioning look upon getting nothing but silence from her.

She shook her head quickly and released a soft breath, whispering, "It was nothing."

Gabriel moved over to her and knelt before her on the edge of her blanket. "It didn't look like nothing," he replied, his tone calming. He reached forward and caressed her cheek tenderly, pulling his hand back to show her the tears he hand wiped away with his gentle touch.

Anna sighed and looked down at her hands. "I prefer not to talk about it," she told him simply. And she didn't want to. "It was a dream; nothing more." Or so she was trying to convince herself.

Anna had always been the strong one. Even as a child, she rarely ever told her brother or her parents about the nightmares she had. She kept them to herself and just as she was doing now, continually told herself that they were nothing until the nightmares lost their element of terror. She only hoped she could convince herself that there was nothing to be afraid of this time. It had been SO real…

Gabriel nodded. "If you wish not to, I won't force the issue," he replied. He wasn't going to make her talk about it if she didn't want to. It was her choice and he knew that if she really did need to talk about it, she would.

Anna was grateful that he was going to give her some space. She needed it. She needed to figure everything out on her own before she even tried to share anything with him.

A hissing noise catching his attention, Van Helsing turned and looked back toward the fire to see that the contents of the pot he had put there were beginning to bubble over. He cursed under his breath and then moved over to it, pulling it off of the fire. With another curse, he quickly placed the hot object down when it began burning his hand.

Anna watched him, a smirk on her face. "You are able to fight vampires and demons and God knows what else, but you cannot remove a pot from a fire without burning yourself?" she quipped.

Sucking on the burned flesh of his hand, Gabriel looked up at her and narrowed an eye, but then dropped his hand and smiled at her. It was good to see that she had least still had a sense of humor. "And I suppose Your Highness could do better?" he asked, gesturing toward the pot.

"I am a woman," she told him smugly, "OF COURSE I can do better."

"By all means..."

Anna smiled and shook her head, slowly, in an effort not to pull the stitches in her stomach, climbing out of her blanket and to her feet. She felt stiff from lying on the ground, but said nothing. Instead, she walked right over to Van Helsing and crouched beside him. "And what exactly am I meant to be doing?"

Gabriel gestured toward a metal mug. "What's in the pot has to go in that," he replied, smirking. "Our dear little friar can't function in the morning without it."

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she mumbled something about "pathetic men" and then reached for the pot, but just before she reached it, Gabriel put his hand on her arm, stilling her. "I assure you, Gabriel, I won't hurt myse–" She stopped when she suddenly noticed that Van Helsing wasn't even looking at her. He was staring off into the woods.

"Stand up," he said quickly, pulling Anna up as he stood.

"What is it?" she asked, following his gaze. She saw nothing but trees.

"Remember when I told you that I could sense evil?" he said, still not looking at her.

Anna paused and then nodded slowly. "Yes, I believe so," she replied. Her memories were still a little fuzzy.

"Well, I'm sensing it."

"Evil?"

He nodded. "Yes," he replied, his tone was all business now. "Quickly–" he started, grabbing his crossbow, "gather your things and wake Carl. We must leave here." And then he took off into the bushes.

Anna didn't question argue. Instead, she immediately moved over to Carl and shook him, trying to rouse the friar.

"I don't want to go, Mummy," Carl mumbled in his sleep, trying to pull the blanket up further over his head. "The other children tease me."

"Carl!" she hissed in his ear. "Get up NOW!" She shook him again, this time roughly. They didn't have time to waste.

"AH! What?!" the friar gasped, sitting straight up. He looked around crazily before his eyes finally settled on Anna.

"Get up," she said again as she shoved her belongings back in her saddle bag.

"But wh–"

"Just do it!" she snapped. "We must leave right now!" She stood again and looked around, trying to see if she had forgotten anything.

"Where's Van Helsing?" Carl asked as he began to follow Anna's example by shoving all his things in his satchel.

Anna pointed at the trees Gabriel had disappeared into before she quickly grabbed the pot, not even noticing how hot it still was, and emptied the contents onto the ground, intending on packing it as well, but before she could, Van Helsing came bursting through the trees.

"Leave it!" he yelled, grabbing her arm, causing her to drop the pot, and pulled her toward the horses. "Carl, we must leave NOW!!" He quickly helped Anna up onto her horse before he grabbed her stuff, handed it to her, and then rushed over to the friar.

"Now, Carl! NOW!" Gabriel pulled the satchel from the friar's hands and then grabbed him by his collar, pulling him up. He quickly rushed him over to his horse and practically threw him up onto it, handing him his bag back. Then he turned on his heel and quickly pulled himself up onto his own horse.

"Come on!" he shouted before he dugs his heels into the sides of his horse, spurring the beast into action. The horse took off into the trees.

Anna glanced over at Carl for a moment before doing the same. She urged her horse into a gallop and began to closely follow behind Van Helsing.

And Carl, well he didn't need an invitation. He quickly followed their example, not wanting to be left behind. He knew that if Van Helsing was running away from something, that something had to be bad and there was no way he wanted to stick around for introductions.

TBC…

(A/N: All righty, there's chpt 10! I didn't really like this one myself, but who cares?! WOO! Hehehe! I have some interesting stuff in store for the next chapters so be ready! G Anywho, _Lady Sirinial_, well done with the kicking, but heed my warning. I WILL start kicking you back if you don't hurry with yours! Hehe! Everyone, thank you SO much for the reviews! I really appreciate it! _Sarah_, you rock! And _Computer Guy_, shhhh! That is OUR secret! Ok, going now! REVIEW! WOO! –hugs– Emily)


	11. THE Shapeshifter

CHAPTER 11

Anna wasn't sure how long they had been riding, but with every jolt of the horse and every sharp pain that shot up her torso as a result, she wished they would just stop.

As if her thoughts had been heard, Van Helsing quickly slowed his horse to a halt and jumped down to the ground with an almost inhuman-like grace. Neither Carl nor Anna's horses needed to be told what to do and immediately followed suit.

Van Helsing moved around, scanning the trees around them for anything out of place. He turned in the direction they had come from and tilted his head to the side, listening. He could hear nothing, thankfully.

Anna watched him for a moment before slowly slipping off of her horse. As her feet hit the ground, another sharp pain shot up her stomach and she couldn't help but gasp in pain. She was sure she had pulled a stitch or two, and that was not good. She watched Gabriel turn toward her and expected him to ask if she was all right, but he didn't. He just stared at her with an almost stony expression.

Something wasn't right…

"We really mustn't push the horses so hard, Van Helsing," Carl commented absentmindedly as he stroked his panting horse.

"Would you prefer you or the horse to die?" Van Helsing asked the friar in a dark tone.

Anna blinked and continued to stare at Gabriel as he stalked over toward the friar.

"Well, neither…I'm just trying to say that we won't make it anywhere if our horses die." Carl replied before standing on his tiptoes so he could whisper into his horse's ear. "Don't worry, Blacky, he'll come around. He's just being a grump."

There was something animalistic about the way Van Helsing moved toward Carl. His steps were silent and his eyes were locked solely on the young friar. He was acting like a beast about to make a kill.

Something was very, very wrong. Anna could feel it. "Um, Gabriel?" she said rather tentatively. She wanted to draw his attention from Carl.

Van Helsing didn't seem to notice her calling his name.

She frowned. "Gabriel," she said a little more forcefully.

Still nothing.

"VAN HELSING!"

The man suddenly stopped in his tracks and slowly turned toward her, his expression almost sinister. His jaw was clenched along with his fists and his eyes were dark, too dark. "Yes?" he snarled.

And it was at that moment that she knew it wasn't him. "Carl!" she said in alarm.

The friar whipped his head around and met Anna's gaze. He immediately noted her distressed expression and then looked at Van Helsing. If there was one thing Carl knew better chemicals, weaponry, and demons, it was his friend and the man standing before him was _not_ his friend. He gave Anna a nervous look.

If Carl noticed it too and the man now with them was _not_ their Van Helsing, where was the real one? Anna pulled her sword from its sheath and held it out in front of her. "Who are you?" she finally asked.

"Whatever do you mean, Princess?" the man replied sneeringly. "I'm Van Helsing."

"N-no, you're not," Carl countered, his voice wavering.

'Van Helsing' turned his head toward the friar and shot him a look that sent a wave of shivers down the little man's spine. "Oh, but I am."

"Oh, but you're not," the friar argued. He watched as Anna took a few tentative steps toward the imposter and figured the least he could do was distract the guy while the gypsy moved in.

"You dare to question me, Monk? I _am_ the great Van Helsing!"

"He's a friar, not a monk!" Anna said rapidly as she swiftly closed the distance between her and the man, and swung a dangerous right hook at his head. The imposter had no time to really react before her fist slammed into his skull. The action sent a jarring pain through her hand, but she quickly shook it off before taking a step back and readying her sword.

Recovering from the blow, the man straightened up and shot Anna a very dangerous look. "You shouldn't have done that," he hissed.

"And you should learn to get your facts straight if you are going to go around impersonating people!" Anna shot back, taking another step away from the man.

Carl nodded. "She's right, you know," he stated. "I mean, how could have possibly thought that you would be able to get away with pretending to be Van Helsing, especially when you don't know all the facts?" He shook his head. "Honestly. You've done a terrible job so far. I, personally, would suggest practicing some more-"

"Carl-"

"Some role playing, perhaps," the friar continued. "I've heard that helps when it comes to learning how to impersonate people."

"CARL-"

"Or maybe-"

"CARL!"

The young man finally snapped out of it and turned his attention to Anna.

She gave him a look and then said, "I don't think our imposter friend here is worried too much about his performance."

It took a few moments for what the woman was saying to click. "Oh!" Carl exclaimed. "He only wanted to be believable long enough to kill us!" He smiled, quite proud of himself for figuring it out so quickly…And then he frowned. "Oh…" He shot a glare the man's way. "Well, that isn't very nice."

"You're very intuitive, Princess," the fake said as he began stalking around the woman in wide circles, once again acting as if he were an animal deciding the best way to attack its prey. "Very few discover who I truly am so quickly." He smiled wickedly. "And usually it's right before I take their lives."

"And you have quite an impressive vocabulary for a nothing more than a pathetic shapeshifter," Anna shot back. She was really just trying to buy time in order to think about what she was going to do next, in order to prepare herself for the fight she knew was about to happen.

"Tsk tsk, Princess," the imposter sniggered, "I am not just _a_ shapeshifter. I am _the_ shapeshifter."

Anna couldn't help but roll her eyes. If there was one thing she hated more than when creatures tried to kill her, it was when those creatures launched into long, self-aggrandizing monologues _before_ trying to kill her. Even though it did often buy her the time to come up with the life-saving plan that would enable her to be victorious over the haughty and long-winded creatures, sometimes she just wished they'd get to the point and attack her.

"Forgive me, _The_ Shapeshifter," Anna interrupted before the creature could reveal his ultimately interminable life story. "I did not know." Her sword was starting to feel heavy, but she continued to hold it out in front of her, keeping it between her and The Shapeshifter. "But now that I do, how about Your Shapeshiftiness tells me where the real Van Helsing is?"

The imposter, seemingly annoyed at being interrupted before he could tell the tale of how he happened to be _the_ shapeshifter, narrowed his eyes at the woman. "He is dead," he hissed.

Anna's heart dropped, but her expression remained impassive. "I find that," she began, "hard to believe."

"Me, too!" Carl chimed in. He hadn't said anything in what he considered to be a long time and felt that it had been a good a moment as any to say something.

"Van Helsing has killed many demons, monsters, and evil creatures far more powerful than yourself," Anna said slowly, taking a moment to wish that Van Helsing was there now. "How do you expect us to believe that _you_ could have killed him?"

It was at that moment that the shapeshifter got this certain look in his eyes, a look that was so smug and so evil that it make Anna's heart drop all the way down to her feet. He curled his lips in a cruel smile. "I merely pretended to be you."

TBC…

(A/N: Yeeeeeeeee-eah, it's been a long while since I updated, but I figured that I'd put the chapter up anyway since I have it. LOL! Love to all! – Emily)


	12. Not Quite Dead

Disclaimer on first page.

CHAPTER 12

A swell of emotions welled up inside of Anna. Horror. Fear. Panic. _Rage_. Her jaw clenched, her grip on her sword tightened, and her eyes narrowed, darkening dangerously.

The shapeshifter didn't seem to notice. "It was all too easy. Once he saw that it was 'you' approaching, he turned his back to me. He didn't even realize that the evil he was searching for was right behind him, not until it was too late."

Eyes wide, Carl gulped. What the man…creature, whatever he happened to be, was saying was plausible, the friar reluctantly considered. Van Helsing was a very trusting man when it came to those he was close with. He wouldn't have thought twice about turning his back to Anna, or in this case, something that looked like Anna.

"But don't you worry too much, Princess," The Shapeshifter sneered, "He wasn't in pain when he died," he paused and smiled ruthlessly, "Well, not too much."

And that's when Anna had finally had enough. Without notice, and despite her pain and fatigue, she launched into a series of quick acrobatic maneuvers, landing right in front of the Van Helsing imposter. She lashed out at him, her fist solidly connecting with his jaw, sending him reeling back.

The shapeshifter bent over, clutching his face in pain, but just as Anna was about to continue her attack, his hand shot out, catching her by the throat. He clamped down hard, cutting off her air supply before he lifted her off of the ground and held her there. "That's the second time you've hit me, Holy One," he hissed. "You will not get that chance again."

He reached forward and wrapped his other hand around her neck, intending on crushing her throat, but suddenly, before he could, a searing pain shot up his back. He let out a loud, inhuman screech and dropped Anna, grabbing desperately at his back.

Coughing, Anna quickly shuffled back away from him, grabbing her dropped sword along the way, and then looked over at Carl to see the friar holding out Van Helsing's crossbow in shaking hands.

"Well, that's one of the strangest things I've ever done," Carl mumbled, finding that shooting someone who looked like his best friend was very strange indeed.

"Shoot him again, Carl!" Anna cried as she, struggling to her feet, watched the shapeshifter get a hold of the arrow sticking out of his back and rip it out.

Startled, Carl fumbled for the trigger once more, but before he could pull it, the shapeshifter lunged at him, ripping the bow from his hands, and then threw the friar into the horses. With animalistic speed, he brought he crossbow around and aimed it right at Anna, pulling the trigger without a second of hesitation.

Anna, having seen the move coming, made a mad dive behind a tree managing to almost completely avoid the arrow that was aimed at her heart. It grazed her arm, but she was so focused on surviving that she didn't even feel it.

"It's pointless to hide from me, Princess," The Shapeshifter said, his voice thick with conceit. "You're only prolonging the inevitable. I _will_ kill you."

Breathlessly, Anna moved slowly from tree to tree, trying to find a more defensible position. She was headed in the direction of the horses and Carl. Even if they couldn't find a way to kill the shapeshifter, they could at least run away…hopefully.

"You can't run from me either, Holy One," The Shapeshifter sing-songed, his dark eyes scanning the surrounding trees.

Carl lay on the ground near Blacky's feet, moaning softly.

Chewing her lip, Anna peered around a tree, glancing between Carl and the shapeshifter trying to decide what to do. Her grip tightened around the hilt of her sword.

The Shapeshifter shook his head. "Fine then, have it your way," he said as he turned towards the downed friar. "I'll kill your little friend first." He started closing in on Carl.

"N–" Anna started to protest, but before she could finish the word, a hand clamped down over her mouth, silencing her. On instinct, she wretched her elbow back towards her attacker's head in an attempt to defend herself, but her blow was deflected.

"Calm down, Anna," a familiar voice groused in a hushed tone.

A moment later, strong hands turned Anna around so that she could face the one holding her still. When she saw who it was, she gasped.

Van Helsing smiled at her and then put his finger to his lips, signaling for her to remain quiet once he removed his hand from her mouth. He waited for her nod of understanding before he let his hand drop.

"Gabriel," Anna breathed. "I thought you were dead."

"Me? Dead? Not quite," he said with a lopsided grin.

Anna eyed him suspiciously. "How do I know it's really you?" she whispered questioningly. She brought her sword up just to make her point.

Van Helsing glanced past her momentarily at the look-alike that was headed in Carl's direction. "You have a point," he said with a quick nod, bringing his eyes back to meet hers. "I supposed I'll just have to convince you."

Anna raised an eyebrow. "How do you plan to do that?" She knew they were putting Carl's life in even more danger by wasting time, but she had to be sure. It wouldn't help the little friar at all if she turned her back to another shapeshifter pretending to be Van Helsing and let herself be killed.

Gabriel paused, as if to think it over, and then suddenly pushed Anna's sword to the side, leaning in and crushing his lips against hers. He kissed her hard, passionately, and then pulled back just as quickly as he had leaned in. "Good enough?"

Anna, slightly dazed, blinked a couple of times and then narrowed her eyes at him. "For the moment," she conceded. "But now we must help Carl."

Nodding, Van Helsing pulled out his tojo blades and looked past Anna again at the shapeshifter. He thought a moment and then finally whispered, "We need a distraction."

"Leave that up to me," Anna said with a nod.

-----

"All right, you win."

The shapeshifter stopped just as he reached Carl and turned to see Anna standing there, her sword out in front of her. He smiled viciously. "You've come to your senses. Very wise."

"Leave Carl alone," Anna said, her voice unwavering despite the fact that she now had a crossbow aimed at her once more, "And…I'll surrender."

"Done," The Shapeshifter replied, not even bothering to look back at the friar. "He's free to go any time he pleases." His grin widened. "Now, drop your sword."

Anna slowly leant forward, holding her sword out in front of her as if she were going to place it down on the ground, but then suddenly stopped. She smiled. "On second thought…"

"My mother never mentioned that I had a twin," Van Helsing said from behind his look-alike.

The shapeshifter whipped around to see Gabriel standing there, tojo blades in his hands, and Carl nowhere in sight.

"Gabriel, meet The Shapeshifter," Anna introduced, standing back up straight. "Mr. Shapeshifter, Gabriel Van Helsing –the one you killed."

"Anna," Van Helsing said, "I'd appreciate if you didn't tell evil creatures what my first name is."

The gypsy gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

"Because it makes me sound less…"

"Manly?" She raised an eyebrow.

Van Helsing shot her a look. "Something like that."

"Enough!" The Shapeshifter snapped. He wanted to do some killing and their chatter was interrupting his concentration.

Gabriel returned his attention to his twin and narrowed his eyes. "You're right. We have some business to attend to."

The shapeshifter gave him a strange look. He had heard many tales of the great Van Helsing and of all those he had killed, and had actually been hoping to avoid any real confrontation with him. Sure, he could take the monster slayer, but why bother when it was Anna he wanted? At least, he thought he could take him…

The look in Van Helsing's eyes almost made the creature want to run. He wasn't like most of the other nightmarish beasts that were after the gypsy princess. He had a brain and knew when it was time to run. He had knocked the monster hunter out and then taken his identity with the plan of killing the man's love, he reasoned with himself. That would probably infuriate just about anyone.

"You took my crossbow," Gabriel growled, receiving odd looks from both the shapeshifter and Anna. "_And_ my horse."

Not exactly what the shapeshifter had thought the man would be mad about, but anyway… There was a pause before he cleared his throat and replied, "Yes…"

Van Helsing raised an eyebrow, glanced at Anna, and then after a few seconds asked, "Why?"

"Why did I take your crossbow and horse?"

"No, why are you trying to kill her?"

The Shapeshifter looked at him as if he were the thickest person on the planet. "Because she is the Holy One."

Van Helsing suppressed a sigh. "Yes, I know that much, but what does that mean?" He wanted to know but he wanted to hear it from someone who wasn't reading it from a book.

"It means," The Shapeshifter began, obviously irritated by having to take his time to explain things, "that because she was not born by natural means, she is holy and has now upset the Balance."

"The Balance?"

"The Balance between good and evil?"

There was a slight pause and then Gabriel nodded. "And in order return the Balance to normal, you must kill her?"

The Shapeshifter looked like he was getting bored. "Yes."

Van Helsing nodded quickly before saying, "Thank you. That's all I needed to know," before he tossed one of his tojo blades with almost inhuman-like speed and accuracy. It lodged itself in the creature's neck.

Eyes wide in shock, The Shapeshifter dropped the crossbow and grabbed for his neck, gagging and sputtering out a thick, black blood. He dropped to his knees just as he started shifting into a number of different creatures and people whose shapes he had obviously taken on before. With one last choking noise, he looked at Van Helsing in the eyes and then sagged to the ground. He didn't rise again.

"Requiescat in pace," Gabriel whispered after walking over. He pulled his tojo blade out of the dead creature's neck and wiped it off before turning to Anna.

"That was rather anti-climatic," she commented somewhat absentmindedly.

"Are you all right?" he asked, tucking his weapon and its twin back into their holsters before picking up his crossbow.

Anna eyed him wearily. She still wasn't sure if she should really trust him or not. If he was another shapeshifter, he would undoubtedly try to fool her and then when she least expected it, he would strike, and she didn't particularly feel like dying again so soon after returning. "How do I know it's really you?" she asked, repeating her earlier question.

"Wasn't my earlier explanation proof enough?" Van Helsing replied, giving her a cheeky, lopsided grin. But then there was a pause and he noticed that her serious expression had not changed. His smile faded and he sucked in a breath as he tried to think of a way to prove it. A moment passed and then, putting his crossbow back down, he pulled out a small knife. He held it out for her to see before running it across the heel of his hand. Rich red blood seeped out of the wound left behind. He held his hand up to show her. "Satisfied?"

Anna looked relieved, but before she could reply, Carl suddenly came charging out of the bushes with a branch in his hand. He spotted Van Helsing and ran at him, yelling, "Leave her be, you evil monstrosity!" He swung the branch at the other man's head, but he was too slow.

Van Helsing caught the other end of the small log in his hand before it could connect with his skull. The last thing he needed or wanted was to get walloped in the head again. Once was enough for one night. "Calm down, Carl," he said firmly. "It's me."

"Ha! As if I'd believe that!" the friar retorted, trying to pull his branch free from Van Helsing's hand. "You're a ghoulish beast, and I won't let you harm Anna!"

"Carl…" the gypsy tried.

"No Anna!" the little man argued, "Van Helsing would have wanted me to protect you!"

"That _is_ Van Helsing, Carl," she replied, slowly walking over to the pair.

He didn't even bother to look at her. "No, it isn't. It's a shapeshifter, remember?!" He glared up at Van Helsing. "Why can't she remember? What have you done to her?!"

"It _is_ me, Carl." Gabriel's expression was calm, but his tone was slightly strained.

"Lies!" the friar all but shrieked, "Vicious, cruel lies!"

Van Helsing sighed, muttering something along the lines of "Always so overdramatic," before he grabbed Carl by the back of the neck and steered the smaller man around and forced his eye sight to align with the dead version of himself on the ground a moment before the shapeshifter morphed back into his grotesque self.

Carl let out a sharp "EEP!" and jumped slightly, startled by the dead creature's hideous form.

"See?" Van Helsing rumbled, smirking slightly at his little friend's reaction.

The friar cleared his throat and nodded his head quickly. There was a pause and then he turned his attention back to Gabriel. He smiled tentatively. "It's really you?"

The taller man settled the short one with a soft look and then nodded. "Yes, Carl, it's me."

Before Van Helsing could react, Carl threw his arms around him, hugging the monster slayer as hard as friarly possible. "I thought you were _dead_!" he exclaimed.

Gabriel coughed. "Yes, yes I'm aware," he said, trying to pry the little man off. "I missed you, too." He managed to get his arms free from Carl's death grip and took the man by his upper arms, pushing him back. He patted him on the shoulder.

"We really should go," Anna finally stated, glancing around at the dark forest.

Sobering up, both men straightened and looked around as well.

"Yes," Gabriel agreed, picking up his weapons once more. "I don't think setting up camp again is a wise idea. We should probably just ride out of the forest."

Anna nodded. There was no possible way she wanted to stay in the forest now. Van Helsing had told her when they had originally stopped for the night that there was a town half a day's ride away, and given how far and fast they had pushed the horses to get where they were now, they had to be substantially closer. Or so she figured. You could never really tell when you were in the forest when it was dark. Although, it _would_ be morning soon, thank goodness, and even if it wasn't, she trusted Van Helsing, the _real_ Van Helsing, to get them through it.

The threesome moved over to the horses and mounted up, taking off without even a glance back at the dead shapeshifter.

TBC…

(HOORAY! I updated again! YAY ME! Can you believe I'm STILL working on this story? It's crazy!! Haha. Anyway, I wanted to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter! Hollyberries230, Liz-Bathory, Spaztic Arwen, anett, vampirediva07, bakabaka135, Ellesie, Hughfan, Angel In Sorrow, Volume-5, possessed, A Fan, YOU GUYS ROCK! And everyone else who reviewed previous chapters, you guys rock, too! I miss you, Sirinial! ARE YOU ALIVE?! Hehehehe…So yes, more coming at some point! HOPEFULLY SOON!! Hehe!! Oh, if you have any ideas of where I should go with this story, I'm open to them! Thanks!! LOVE! hugs - Emily)


	13. To the Inn!

Disclaimer on first page.

CHAPTER 13

It had already reached midday by the time the weary trio made it out of the forest and to the small town that Van Helsing had previously spoken of. It had taken them quite a bit longer to get there than it normally would have just because of how inky the night had been. The dense foliage had all but blocked out any guiding light from the moon and stars above, and it seemed, at least to Anna, that even the trees were against them.

They were greeted by curious, but otherwise non-threatening looks from the locals as they rode up. No one made a move to actually say hello, though. They just stared for a few moments before continuing on with whatever they had previously been doing. None of the three took offense. They were too tired and sore to even think about it at the present moment.

Drawing their steeds to a slow stop, Van Helsing dismounted first before moving over to help Anna down. Once he made sure she was steady, he turned to the friar, who was in the process of awkwardly sliding down Blacky's side to the ground, and asked, "Would you mind taking the horses to the stable while we go find out if there is a room at the inn?"

Usually Carl would complain about the task as it required him not only to locate the town stable, but also remove the horses' tack, brush them down, and feed them –it was cheaper to do it yourself than to pay the stableman– but in this case, he was just too exhausted to argue. He nodded and dutifully took the reins of all three horses and led them away.

Anna smiled fondly after the small friar. She was glad Carl was with them. He had saved her life in his own little ungainly sort of way, but that didn't make it mean any less to her. She would definitely have to thank him later for all he'd already done and would undoubtedly do as their perilous journey continued.

There was a slight pause and then she felt rough fingers brush gently across her palm. With a ghost of a smile, Anna brought her eyes up to meet Van Helsing's. The infinite longing and loving concern in his look almost made her tear up, and he noticed it, too. Without a word, he placed a soft kiss on her forehead and then took her hand. "Come on, let's find somewhere to rest." With no objection from her, the two moved towards the only building large enough to be the inn.

-----

The inn, as it seemed, was also the tavern. Not uncommon, especially not in smaller towns. Van Helsing had been to many similar ones.

The pair glanced cautiously around at the room. There were several patrons scattered about the darkened, candlelit room, but none seemed particularly threatening. Nothing to worry about, at least not for right now.

Even with the sun up, few rays made it through the small, dusty windows of the tavern. It felt stuffy to Anna, almost insufferably so. She looked uncomfortably at Van Helsing, silently asking if they really had to stay there. They hadn't even been on their quest for a week and she was already almost ready to give up, which, for Anna Valerious, was extremely rare.

Gabriel smiled gently at her and then motioned for her to take a seat at the nearest table. In his single look, she knew what he was telling her. She just needed to relax and that he would make sure that everything was in order; that he would take care of her.

Before either could move though, a portly lass strode over to them, giving the both of them a good look over before finally, in a manner quite gruff, saying, "We don't get many visitors in these parts."

Van Helsing resisted the urge to look skyward and silently ask, _"Why, Lord? Why must she be one of __**those**__ types of people?"_ He often encountered less-than-hospitable folk on his journeys and wished, especially after seeing the slightly darkened expression on his gypsy princess' face, that just for once people wouldn't be so dubious of one another and would just be friendly. God knew the trio deserved a little kindliness and compassion after the night they had just had!

"We're only here for tonight," Gabriel replied smoothly.

Strangely, as if she had heard his thoughts, the woman's demeanor suddenly changed altogether. She smiled a big smile and clapped him heartily on the shoulder, giving no mind to what wounds may lay beneath his heavy clothes. "You'll be needin' a room then," she pointed out, ushering the pair towards one of the empty tables.

"The name is Bogdana. This is my tavern, and my inn. Have a seat. It looks like you could use a good meal. Did you ride in? Have you been to the stables? We have the best stables around and the best stablehand by the name of Florin. My boy, he is."

Anna gave Gabriel a dry "A proud one, isn't she…?" look.

Van Helsing smirked ever so slightly at the princess before returning his attention to the other woman. "Um, yes to all. The third member of our party has taken our horses to the stables-"

"A third, you say?" Bogdana seemed to brighten even more. "Well, you'll be needin' two rooms then! Why didn't you say so from the start?" She looked over her shoulder at a dirty, gangly looking young man and yelled, "Bogdan, ready two rooms for our guests!" No one in the entire tavern, besides Van Helsing and Anna, flinched at all at her loud tone. Obviously they were used to her yelling.

She turned back to the two monster hunters. "That be my first born. Named after me, he was. I fancy him to be the most striking of lads, but in these times it is hard to find a suitable, wholesome woman to marry him off to. They all either want to be a princess or a monster slayer!" She shook her head as if disgusted. "What self-respectin' woman would want to be that?! How can you raise a family doing either? It's absolutely ridiculous if you ask me."

Van Helsing and Anna blinked simultaneously before the latter spoke up for the first time since arriving. "One room will be sufficient," Anna stated, ignoring most of what Bogdana had said.

The older woman frowned at the princess. "I'm afraid that isn't possible. We have policy here that states no more than two to one room," she told her matter-of-factly.

Anna raised an eyebrow. Obviously Bogdana was quite the businesswoman.

When there was no further argument, Bogdana smiled brightly and said, "I'll fetch you something to eat now."

Gabriel nodded. "Thank you." He waited for the woman to walk off before he turned his attention to Anna. There was a pause and then, "Quite a woman…"

"Quite an understatement," was the gypsy's reply.

"Quite disturbing," a third familiar voice contributed.

The pair looked over to see their trusty little friar walking over with a strange look on his face. "What's disturbing, Carl?" Van Helsing questioned as the smaller man took a seat next to him.

The friar leaned in conspiratorially. "Everyone here looks the same," he told them quietly, "as if all sired by the father."

Anna and Gabriel immediately looked in the direction that their hostess had gone and simultaneously said, "Or mother."

TBC…

(A/N: I know it's short but, MORE TO COME VERY SOON!! I want to give a very special thanks to Lady Sirinial for, first and foremost, finally returning to us (YAY!), for beta-ing, and for being my muse. I don't think I would have been able to really get back into the swing of things without her encouragement! So yes, thanks Sirinial! You're the best!

I also want to thank all those who reviewed my last chapter. Charmes Malheureux, Melcangel, anett, A Fan, Hughfan, Ann Kathrynn, RockPrincess18, Reaching for Stars, Draconis1719, and natira – Thank you, thank you! If it weren't for your support, I probably would have given up by now! You guys are awesome!

Oh, and CLICKY CLICKY the little button and you will get the next chapter even faster!!! LUV! –Emily )


	14. Forever

**CHAPTER 14**

After their meal, the trio was lead upstairs to their rooms by a young girl by the name of Mirella. She couldn't have been more than seven by Anna's guess. She was quite lovely even if a bit dirty.

"Mirella, eh?" Carl said conversationally. "I'm surprised you weren't named Bogna or Dana, or something of the sort." Anna and Gabriel had told him of all they had experienced while he had been tending to Blacky, Vesper, and Bruin, their three horses.

The girl looked up at him with her bright green eyes and shyly replied, "Those are my sisters…"

There was an awkward pause. "Ah," was all Carl could think of to say after that.

The rest of the walk to the rooms was done in silence, but once they reached them, the girl suddenly perked up. "Mother sent Bogdan to prepare your rooms, but he is not very good at it." She smiled. "So, I told him that Petre and Ilie needed help in the fields so I could prepare them for you myself."

"Petre and Ilie are…your brothers?" Carl ventured a guess.

She nodded. "Two of them, yes."

The small friar couldn't help but wonder how many siblings this child had, but decided not to ask.

The rooms were directly across from each other. The child opened one door and then the other, smiling a bit as she did so. "This one is for the princess," she directed, pointed to the door on the left.

There was another pause. Anna smiled curiously down at the girl for a moment before she looked back and forth between the rooms. She saw little difference until she finally noticed the small handpicked bouquet of wild flowers in an old clay pitcher on the worn beside table.

Once the two men had wandered into the room on the right, Bella took Anna by the hand and led her into the other. Smiling, Anna gingerly crouched down beside the girl and then asked, "Did you pick those for me?"

Mirella smiled back and nodded, looking a little bashful again.

"They are very beautiful, Mirella," Anna told her genuinely. "Thank you."

The girl beamed. "Father says princesses like pretty things, so I thought you might like them," she explained.

Anna tilted her head to the side just a bit in an inquisitive manner. "And how do you know I am a princess?" she questioned, keeping her tone light.

"Because you're pretty," the girl stated.

"But so are many other people," Anna told her. "_You're_ very pretty." Mirella blushed at that and ducked her head just a bit, but her eyes never left Anna's. "So, how do you know that I am really a princess?"

The girl stared at her for a long moment before leaning in a little closer and whispering, "You glow…"

Before Anna could ask the girl what she meant by that, a bellow from their rather raucous hostess beckoned the child. Mirella did not wait. She flashed a quick smile and then dashed out of the room. Anna was left crouching in the middle of the room with a confused frown on her face.

It was at that moment that Van Helsing decided to stride in, closing the door behind him as he did. He paused when he saw his gypsy's face. "What is it?" he asked as he moved over to help her stand.

The frown remained. "That girl…"

"What did she say?"

Anna finally brought her eyes up to meet his instead of just staring at the door. "I asked her how she knew that I was a princess and she-she said that I _glowed_…"

Now Van Helsing looked equally as confused. "Glowed?"

Nodding, Anna let out a breath and then closed her eyes. She didn't know what the girl meant. It could have meant something completely innocent, but with their luck, it probably didn't. She just hoped that whatever was undoubtedly after them would at least wait until they had had a bit of a rest. She was so exhausted.

Gabriel stepped forward and gently wrapped his arms around the princess, pulling her to him. With a soft sigh, she hid her face in his chest while he buried his in her hair. They stood like that for a while, just supporting each other, before finally breaking apart.

Tucking a curl behind her ear, Gabriel smiled lovingly down at Anna for a moment before telling her, "Carl has already fallen asleep across the hall. I would suggest that you get some rest as well." He kissed her on the forehead and then, not knowing if she'd want him there or not, made a move for the door.

"Stay."

He smiled at the word. "Are you sure?" he questioned, ever the gentleman.

She playfully narrowed her eyes at him. "Of course I am," she replied. "I need your help."

"Well, if it's only my services you require…" Van Helsing started, grinning cheekily.

The gypsy gave him a look. "Do not make something of nothing, Mr. Van Helsing, or I'll send you to go rest with our snoring friar."

Gabriel's grin grew. "Very well," he replied, trying his best to sound serious. "What need have you of me?"

There was a slight pause before she turned her back to him and gingerly reached back with one arm to pull her hair over her shoulder. "I need you to unlace me."

With the unexpected request, Gabriel suddenly sobered quite a bit. Was Anna asking him to do what he thought she was asking him to do?

"No, Gabriel, I am not asking you to _undress_ me," Anna said with a repressed sigh when Van Helsing hesitated.

He blinked. Was she reading his mind?

"I am just asking that you unlace my corset," she continued, resisting the urge to roll her eyes at the man. "I would do it myself, but as it is, I am a little sore…"

Gabriel's fantasy garbled thoughts instantly cleared. "Of course," he finally replied as he reached for the bottom tie. It took some doing as he was not generally very well-versed in the art of unlacing corsets, but eventually the confining leather came off.

Anna took a deep breath, relieved to have it off. The entire inn was stuffy enough without that adding to it. "Thank you," she said as she turned around to take the corset from him. A beat passed, and then she noticed the sudden, urgently concerned look on Van Helsing's face. She frowned. "What is it?"

"You're bleeding."

Following his gaze down to her stomach, she noticed a rather large blood stain across the front of her blouse. "I think I pulled a stitch…"

Van Helsing raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

Anna looked up at him from under her long dark lashes. "Fine," she conceded. "I did feel something…pop."

"Why didn't you tell me?" he questioned as he ushered her over to the bed and had her sit.

The princess frowned a bit. "Well, you were trying to kill me at the time," she replied dryly.

Van Helsing shook his head and then made a gesture towards the blouse. "May I?" When she nodded in affirmation, he took the bottom hem and slowly lifted the blouse. Despite his efforts to be gentle, a pained hiss was still ripped from Anna's lips as the dried blood tore away from her wounds and fresh blood began to flow anew.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, his own frown deepening. He moved from his knees to his feet and gently coaxed her down onto the bed. "Lie still. I'll be right back." He didn't give her time to protest before he was out the door and across the hall to retrieve the medical supplies they had brought with them.

With a sigh, Anna made herself more comfortable on the pillows and then adjusted herself so that no bits were hanging out that could cause any sort of embarrassment for either of them. Sure, Van Helsing had already seen her in the nude, but that was essentially by accident, and by God, she still had her pride.

A moment, Gabriel reappeared and shut the door. He cast her a soft smile before settling down on his knees beside the bed. "You were right about the snoring," he told her with a smirk. "Carl could wake the dead."

"Please, no," Anna groused good-naturedly. "The dead is the last thing we need chasing us at the moment."

Gabriel snorted. She was definitely right about that. He had a feeling that Opacus Beluas and shapeshifters were going to be the least of their worries and while the walking dead weren't the hardest of creatures to kill, they still wouldn't help matters by being around.

"Right, sorry. I'll try not to jinx us." He smiled at her again and then took her hand in his, kissing her knuckles. "Now just try to relax. I'll have this done before you know it." When she smiled in return and nodded, closing her eyes, Gabriel got to work.

--

"All done."

Anna tiredly opened her eyes and looked down. The popped stitches had been replaced and the gashes across her stomach once again were neatly closed. "You have quite the skill with the needle, Mr. Van Helsing," she said with a cheeky look in her eyes, "Perhaps you were a seamstress in a past life?"

"Ha ha," he deadpanned, rolling her blouse back down before shooting her a smirk. "Were you injured anywhere else?" he asked, thinking he might as well given Anna's track record for not telling him until the last moment.

There was a pause and then, "My arm." The admission had come with quite a bit of reluctance. Growing up, she had learned to be strong and care for herself. She had had to with the reality that she or one of her family members could die at a moments notice. The only way to deal with that truth was to forever steel herself, but having Gabriel here with his tender gaze and gentle touch…well, she was finding it extremely hard to hold to what she had known her entire life.

"Here, sit up" Gabriel said as he carefully coaxed her up into a sitting position. "Now where does it hurt?"

Anna moved her left arm toward him and it was then that he finally noticed the bloody tear in the sleeve of her blouse. "It is only a graze," she tried to tell him.

"Allow me to be the judge of that," was his reply. She sighed, but didn't argue; he smiled. He pushed away the material that was hiding the wound and was relieved to see that it was, in fact, just a graze. "You were right," he told her without thinking.

The gypsy princess made a triumphant "_See?_" noise and then pulled her arm free from his grasp. She saw he was opening his mouth to protest and immediately cut him off. "Your turn." When he blinked, she smiled wickedly. She really did enjoy revenge.

"But I haven't–"

She cut him off again. "Your shoulder," she supplied, "And _The_ Shapeshifter must have done something to you in order to keep you from killing him right away, or was it that short distance you had to run that kept you so long?" Yes, now she really was being wicked.

Van Helsing playfully narrowed his eyes at her. Now there was some of that Anna Valerious spunk that he knew and loved. "Alright Princess, you win," he replied with a smirk. He took off his coat and tossed it on the bed before pulling the collar of his sweater aside so she could get a look at the wound he had unfortunately procured from the Opacus Belua.

She made a tsking sound, shaking her head. "I'm afraid that will not do, Mr. Van Helsing. You're going to have to remove both vest and sweater."

"You're having far too much fun with this," Gabriel told her, trying his best not to smirk as he did as she requested. "You realize that, right?"

Anna did her best to look innocent. "I haven't the slightest clue what you are talking about," she stated, biting back her own smirk as she leaned forward to carefully peel away the bandages that had been wrapped around his shoulder. She was indeed having quite a bit of fun, but all thoughts about the bare-chested man kneeling between her legs suddenly vanished when she noticed the angry red color of his wounds. "Gabriel…" she breathed.

He immediately noticed the change in her demeanor and frowned in worry. "What?" He followed her gaze to his shoulder and his frown deepened. "It's a bit…red."

"It's infected, Gabriel!" she exclaimed, infinitely concerned. She reached forward with her hand, testing his forehead and cheek for his temperature. "You haven't a fever yet, but it is only a matter of time unless we thoroughly clean out your wounds and care for them as they should have been _from the start_." She stressed the last three words to emphasize her disapproval of the fact that he hadn't bothered to take proper care of himself from the beginning.

Van Helsing suppressed a sigh. She was of course right, but still... At the time they had been in a bit of a rush to get moving after the first attack. He hadn't thought it that severe, but apparently his lack of concern for his own wellbeing could now potentially be detrimental to his ability to be able to protect Anna, and that, well that much just absolutely inexcusable.

Lost in his self-berating, he hadn't even noticed that Anna had begun to clean his wound until a sharp sting made him bite back a gasp. He shot the woman above him a look, one of which she returned right back.

"Don't give me that look," she ordered, raising a delicate eyebrow that was not to be challenged. And Van Helsing didn't. "And don't move." Satisfied that he wouldn't, Anna gingerly leaned forward and kissed him on the forehead before climbing to her feet and moving around him to retrieve some fresh water.

--

"I'm not quite sure this is what Carl had in mind when he brought this along," Gabriel stated through clenched teeth as Anna poured a little more vodka on his wounds, hoping it would help with the infection. She had found the flask in one of Carl's bags that Van Helsing had brought into the room.

Why the small friar had vodka, Anna didn't know, but for now, if it would help keep Van Helsing's infection under control, that's all that mattered. "Well, I'm quite sure that I don't care," was her prompt reply. "You're no good to us ill or dead."

Anna once again had a very valid point, Van Helsing considered, but by God, it stung!!

"And besides," she continued, her curiosity getting the better of her after all, "Why _does_ Carl have a flask full of vodka? I didn't even think that he drank."

"Nor did I," Gabriel admitted, "But then again, Carl tends to surprise me on a daily basis, so really anything is possible, especially since he's only a friar." He shrugged without thinking and was immediately greeted with a sharp, shooting pain.

"Don't move," Anna demanded sternly, focused solely on her task. She finished caring for his wound and then wrapped his shoulder with clean bandages. Tying it off, she leaned back a bit to inspect her work and after a moments pause, nodded. "I am finished."

Van Helsing turned his head to look at his shoulder for a second before returning his attention to Anna. He smiled at her. "And perhaps you were a nurse in your past life?" he teased.

She narrowed her eyes a bit and swatted him in his good arm.

"What?!" He grinned. "Better than a seamstress."

Rolling her eyes, Anna shook her head at the man, and then suddenly raised her hand to her mouth, biting back a yawn. The past few days had taken a great toll on her and her exhaustion was quickly catching up with her. She wished she could curl up in a ball and just sleep for days, but knew that wasn't possible, not with all the forces of darkness after her.

Gabriel's expression softened and he rose up on his knees, kissing her softly on the lips. "You should rest," he told her.

Anna smiled tiredly at him. "As should you," she replied as she tenderly brushed several errant strands of his hair back into place. She saw the question in his eyes and could tell that he wasn't sure how to ask it. _Should he stay or go?_ Her fingers lovingly trailed down his cheeks to his chiseled jaw and then she leaned her forehead against his. "Would you stay with me?" she asked, her eyes never leaving his.

"Forever," was his whispered reply, and he meant it.

TBC…

(A/N: It's been FOREVER, I know. I suck. Yes. I have several more chapters written and I figured I'd put them up. I get these random bursts of inspiration that compel me to work on stories that had been stuck in neutral for a long time. Anyway, THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS!! And I hope you enjoyed this chapter. CLICKY CLICKY!! Luvs! –Emily)


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